An Education From HIM
by Tonifranz
Summary: Peace reigns between the Powerpuff Girls and Rowdyruff Boys. Even as the boys claims that they remain evil, they become close to their counterparts, becoming penpals and playmates to each other. Yet HIM watches, and vows to shatter their peace. Chapter 11. The Boys fulfilled their part of the bargain. Will HIM fulfill his part and free their beloved teacher? And what of Mojo Jojo?
1. I (V) - Tag and Tea Parties

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Powerpuff Girls. It is owned and created by Craig McCraken, and by Cartoon Network.

* * *

 **An Education From HIM**

Peace reigns between the Powerpuff Girls and Rowdyruff Boys. Even as the boys claims that they remain evil, they become close to their counterparts, becoming penpals and playmates to each other. Yet HIM watches, and vows to shatter their peace. Chapter 1. HIM's angry at the boys. Blossom and Brick write to each other, using Bubbles as a messenger. Mojo has something for his sons.

 **Book I (V)**

 **Preliminary Skirmishes**

* * *

 **Chapter I (XX)**

 **Tag and Tea Parties**

 _Please, please, leave a review. Thank you._

 _ **1 (190). A Jealous HIM**_

"So, you ingrates chose that _monkey over me_?" A creature, with lobster like features, red skin, and tall black boots, said, in a rather high pitched voice, as he watched the scene on his old-fashioned television at his lair that took the form of a pink room.

He watched as the Rowdyruff Boys celebrated their seventh birthday, and laughed at the final scene—Blossom giving Brick a golden crown, crowning him, Brick crying in tears, and kissing her on both cheeks in gratitude.

But it wasn't that that rankled him, but the fact that Mojo Jojo was there— _as their father_!

He recalled how it all begun. He had so much fun following it on TV. He remembered fighting with the monkey during last years' Father's Day to prove who was the best father! And the boys had rejected them both, saying they wanted nothing more than the destruction of the Powerpuff Girls! And he had been so proud! He didn't mind the rejection, as long as that Mojo was rejected too!

He watched with amusement as the boys realized they were not as smart as they thought they were, and after various hijinks, went to Ms. Keane, begging her to be their tutor. The teacher agreed, and his boys became smart! Very smart, and so smart, that they were able to easily beat the girls in battle using ingenious tactics. And they made it look like, to the city, that the girls were the actual aggressors! Clever! Genius!

But, from HIM's perspective, it had its downside. Ms. Keane became very close to the boys, and under her influence, they sought pardon from the Mayor, disclaimed their original aim of Powerpuff Destruction, all without renouncing evil! Instead, the boys would conquer the world when they grew up, but in the meantime, they would prepare by "pretending to be good" so that they would be acceptable rulers when they become adults. And Ms. Keane's hope was that eventually, they'd become genuinely good and see the folly of conquering the world.

Then Ms. Keane threw a wrench in her own scheme by recruiting Mojo so the boys could live a normal family life. Mojo agreed but decided to do everything to make sure the boys follow through their goal of conquering the world.

After more misunderstandings, the Teacher Ms. Keane told the Powerpuff Girls her plan, and they agreed to it. The girls even tolerated the boys "remaining" evil and plotting to take over the world, as long as the boys didn't do any overt acts of evil. And so, they started to become close, Bubbles and Boomer became playmates, while Brick and Blossom continued to be pen pals. That led to the birthday party, where they signed an agreement, and Blossom crowned Brick and Brick gave Blossom two pecks on her cheeks.

That was very entertaining to watch for HIM, except for the part of Mojo being the father. That meant he was rejected! He, the evilest of evil, was rejected by the evil Rowdyruff Boys in favor of that monkey!

How dare they!

The Rowdryruff Boys would pay for their treason!

But, how?

Nevermind. He'll make them pay! The Monkey will pay! And those Powerpuff Girls too!

"You think your life's perfect! You're at peace, everything's going swell!" he beamed as he watched the party. "Well, guess what? It's going to get a lot worse!"

He then laughed and laughed as a plan formed in his brain. _Oh, it would be so delicious!_

* * *

 _ **2 (191). Princess' Visit**_

 _August 6, 2005, Saturday…_

 _*DING DONG*_

It was morning, and Bubbles waited in anticipation as she stood outside the door of the white painted Rowdyruff Home in the middle of the forest. Formerly Fuzzy Lumpkins' shack, it had been converted, with Ms. Keane's help, into a modern middle-class home. Mojo Jojo lived with them as their father, but the monkey on weekdays usually goes to his volcano-top laboratory to "work". Work days include Saturdays for the chimpanzee genius, so the boys were on their own that day.

The door opened, and as she expected, and had hoped, it was Boomer.

"Hello, Princess," he greeted as he yawned. Princess was his nickname for her, coming from a dream based on the fairy tale, _Puss in Boots_. It was not, originally, a compliment, but she loved it nonetheless.

"I have a letter for Brick!"

"From the Big Bad Wolf?" he asked. Big Bad Wolf was Boomer's nickname for Blossom, again, coming from a dream based on a fairy tale. Needless to say, the blue ruff loved reading fairy tales.

"No, it's from Buttercup! What do you think?" she joked.

Boomer scratched his head sheepishly and shouted, "BRICK! THERE'S A LETTER FOR YOU!"

She looked expectantly behind Boomer, looking over her shoulder, expecting the leader to turn up.

"Yes?" a voice from behind her answered.

She shrieked and jumped in fright, and turned around. There was Brick, smirking before he laughed. "Ha, you frighten easily!" he teased.

She laughed too, "well, you shouldn't sneak up behind a girl like that! It's impolite!"

"But funny!" Boomer added, laughing a bit.

"So you got a letter from Pinky?"

"Yes," she said, handing the letter.

He took it, and read the cover.

"Are you gonna write a reply?" the blue puff asked.

"Yes."

"And are you going to send it this day?"

"Yep."

"Could I deliver?"

"Yes."

"Can I wait?"

"Sure. And Boomer and Butch could keep you company," he said, getting the letter. The leader flew inside and upstairs, to his room.

Before anything could happen, there was a swish of green from inside, and Boomer was tackled by Butch, with Butch giving a powerful punch to the blue ruff's tummy. He then got off, pointed and laughed. "Got you there! Got ya! Off your guard, ain't ya?"

Bubbles gasped, but Boomer just laughed, his face in pain, before he used his speed to give a swift punch on the laughing Butch's jaw. "Who's laughing now?" he said, laughing louder.

Butch clutched his jaw, but simply laughed the pain off. Both brothers put their arms round each other's shoulders and laughed more.

It was only then that the green ruff noticed Bubbles, and said, "What's up, Girl?" he said. 'Girl' was Butch's nickname for Bubbles, as Bubbles had recently become a frequent visitor to the Rowdyruff Home, and Bubbles guessed, was the only girl he regularly sees. "Let me guess, you have a letter from Pink Eyes, and you're gonna wait for Dear Leader to finish?"

"As usual!" Bubbles smiled. It had happened often enough that it had become a routine. It was a convenient excuse for Bubbles to visit the boys as often she liked.

"We're gonna play special tag!" Butch declared. "Wanna play with us?"

"I want to! I want to!" Bubbles shouted, raising her hand and waving it while jumping.

"There are special rules, Princess," Boomer began. "First, you can use your powers, meaning you can fly, but you can't use any nonphysical powers, so no lasers. Then, you can't go beyond the walls of our land. If you do so, you'd be it. Third, you can rest on the roof of the house. It's home base. However, only one can rest. If another one rests, the first one must leave, or he'll be it."

"What if nobody else went to the roof? Could I stay as long as I want?" asked Bubbles.

"You can, but you'd be missing out on the fun!" Boomer replied. "Finally, there is one final rule. To tag, you must hurt the one you're tagging. No slap, but a punch, a kick, or anything else, would be fine. There must be pain. And only physical attacks, okay? So no laser. Still want to join?"

Although she would never have played with such rules with anyone else, nor would she ever propose to play with such rules with her sisters, she knew she was with the boys, and she knew she would enjoy it too! So she did not hesitate. "Yes."

"Atta girl!" The blue ruff said, smiling, giving a hard slap on her back, causing her to nearly fall to the ground. But she took it with a smile. They're treating her as one of them, and she's happy about it. They were rough, and though she knew they already had manners thanks to Ms. Keane, she knew it wasn't her place to question it in their own home.

* * *

 _ **3 (192). The Special Tag**_

They rolled a die to determine who will be it. Butch rolled four, Boomer, five, and Bubbles, got six.

"Damn!" Butch said, and both blues flew up to avoid the Baron of Berserk.

Bubbles looked at the forest. The property of the Rowdyruff Boys was about a thousand acres, with the house in the middle. It was bounded by a wall made of brick and wire going around it. Within it was a big lake that functioned as both a fishing ground and swimming spot.

She spotted Butch going after her, so she flew as fast as possible. Being the fastest Powerpuff, she easily outdistanced the green ruff. As she approached the wall, she turned around, and as she flew above the wall, Butch trailed her.

But her speed was such that he never even got close. She saw that Boomer was close, and Butch decided to chase him instead.

She flew towards the roof of the house, the home base, and rested a while as she watched Butch chase Boomer, to no avail. She should know. Boomer was the fastest ruff of them all. He flew circles around the Baron of Berserk, but because of the need to keep within the property, could not shake Butch. Instead, he flew to the roof and landed next to Bubbles.

"You must leave by ten. One. Two. Three. Four. Five…"

Bubbles was shocked by this action as she stared at Boomer.

"Six. Seven. Eight…"

She then flew, but was suddenly hit in the tummy by Butch ramming his head from below. "You're it!" he shouted.

The wind was knocked out of her and she fell to the ground. It hurt, but she guessed, that was the point of this game. But did Butch have to hit her so hard?

She looked and saw Butch in the air, looking at her, and Boomer on the roof, staring. She could see in their eyes that they were expecting her to just go and cry and fly to Daddy. She was not Buttercup, who reveled in pain and fights, but she was having fun, so she stood up, dusted herself and laughed. She could be tough too! _I'm hardcore Bubbles_! "I'm gonna get you!" she shouted and saw both boys smile.

"Always knew you had it in you, Princess!" Boomer shouted, and Bubbles blushed at his show of faith, before he shouted, "he's getting away, idiot!"

Bubbles snapped out of it and saw that Butch was flying away. She gave chase. Soon, she was closing in, and as he turned at the edge of the property, Bubbles guessed where he was going. She was there before Butch even knew she was waiting for him. She tapped him, and said, "Tag!"

"That didn't hurt, sissy!" Butch said, laughing, and zoomed out.

 _Oh, right! I need to hurt him!_

So she chased him, but Bubbles did not want to punch him or to kick him or hit him. That was the problem. This wasn't a fight, where to hurt each other was natural. Or training, where she knew that what she was hurting was not real, but computer simulations. She wasn't Buttercup, who would leap at this chance.

Suddenly, an idea came to her head, and as she caught up with Butch, she grabbed his hand, spun him around, and…

Pinched his right cheek.

And twisted it.

"Ouch! That hurt!" Butch complained as his cheeks reddened, rubbing his cheek after Bubbles let go. Then blushed, embarrassed that he could be hurt by it.

"Tag! You're it!" she said and landed on the roof. "That wasn't a slap, so it's allowed!"

Boomer was laughing hard. "That's rich! Nice, Princess, nice!"

Bubbles landed on the roof and began counting.

"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven…"

Boomer was still laughing, and he didn't get off until it was nine, and he was still laughing…

And got kicked in the back by Butch, sending him to the ground, "Tag!"

"Aw, that sucks!" Boomer whined as Butch landed on the roof, and Bubbles did not wait for Butch to count.

"Hey, Boomie! Catch me if you can!" she yelled and flew as fast as she could, with the blue ruff chasing her.

During their previous fights, she had enjoyed playing "tag" with her counterpart, and so she enjoyed this game of tag too. She flew at her top speed, and Boomer flew at top speed too, neither one managing to get the best of each other. They chased each other in the air until she decided to lose him by going straight to the forest floor, where she would not be visible from the air.

She landed on the ground and began to run on the ground. She looked behind her, and above, and Boomer…

Could not be found.

Where was he?

She began walking, peeling her eyes. She went to a massive oak which was dubbed 'The Mighty Oak' by the boys. It was used as a hiding place and during their last fight, was used by them to avoid being defeated.

She saw the hollow and peeked inside. Maybe she could hide in there too?

As soon as she poked her head inside the hollow, she was tackled. Boomer had been inside, waiting. She found herself rolling on the ground, with Boomer's arms locked around her waist.

Then he began to tickle her stomach.

And the ticklish Bubbles laughed.

And he tickled her on the armpits, on the neck, on the ribs, and it was torture!

She laughed and laughed and laughed until her stomach began to hurt from too much laughing…

* * *

 _ **4 (193). Letters Between the Pen Pals**_

 _Meanwhile…_

Brick Kenneth Charles Jojo was in his room, looking at the envelope from his pen pal, Blossom.

 _Penpal_.

It had started before the Powerpuff Girls even knew that the Rowdyruff Boys were being tutored by Ms. Keane at her home. Ms. Keane had a habit of bringing their papers to school, and in that way, the girls discovered that she had three students. But they did not put their full names on their papers. Instead, they put their middle and last names—he, for example, wrote Kenneth Charles Jojo. It was not exactly a lie!

And since the girls had not known that he had a middle name, or even a last name, since it was only with Ms. Keane that they gained their full names, they had not suspected. Blossom had read one of his essays where he had written that Townsville was owned by the Powerpuff Girls since the city was so dependent on them (which was true), had written to congratulate him and to offer her comments, and disagreed with his opinion. He had written back without revealing his identity, and she wrote back to his reply.

And thus, had begun a fruitful correspondence. He discovered that he greatly enjoyed writing to her. Debating their views on power and morality and listening to her gossip was a joy. Of course, during their last fight, thanks to Boomer's mouth, their identities had been revealed, but that didn't, to his surprise, lessen their enjoyment of writing to each other. And so they had conducted the entire negotiation for their agreement on how they'll act towards each other almost entirely by letter. The agreement had been signed last August 2, 2005, which coincidentally, he just learned, had been the Rowdyruff's seventh Birthday.

He opened the letter.

* * *

 _August 5, 2005_

 _Dear Brick Kenneth Charles Jojo, Leader of the RRB, etc.…_

 _Now that we have formally agreed to put our differences aside, and to continue to live in peace, here are some things you need to know, in accordance with our agreement, where you'll let us give you advice, even if unsolicited, so that you'll be guided on the proper behavior of a superhero._

 _One. The foremost concern of a superhero is the lives of the people. I know you think of yourself as evil, and I respect that. But at the same time, you are trying to become a superhero. Right now, you are_ _acting_ _good, even as you remain to be evil. In order to act good, in order to convince the people that you are sincere, even if you're not, you must value their lives, and see to it that they are taken care of. People appreciate it if they can see that you care for them._

 _If you become ruler of the world, as is your ambition, not that I'm saying you will be, or that I won't oppose it to the bitter end, but suppose you do. Your responsibility is towards your subjects—the people you rule. Care for them, and make them feel that they are being cared for, and they will lie content under your rule. If not, you will be plagued by revolts._

 _Now, if you become ruler of something lesser, like the city of Townsville or the State of Maine or the United States, by legal means such as an election, I won't oppose you. In fact, depending on circumstances, I might even support you. You must also look after the welfare and the lives of the people, or you'll lose the next election._

 _More advice will come as needed. Take care, Brick!_

 _By the way, how is Bubbles? I hear that she is playing with you three while she's there, waiting for you to write your reply to me. Please keep in mind that she's a girl and that she might not want or enjoy some of the rougher games you boys enjoy. Buttercup may take to it like fish to water, but Bubbles? She's sweet and nice._

 _For example, the first time she visited, she told me that your brother, Boomer, pulled her to the lake to go "swimming" while she's dressed in her blue dress! Now Bubbles, at the end, did have fun, but it ruined her dress and her underwear. Those clothes are not for swimming. Although I have to admit it did become wet when we fought monsters, but for normal play?_

 _Tell Boomer that._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Blossom Catherine Lynn Utonium, Leader of the PPG, etc…_

* * *

 _ **5 (194). Brick's Reply**_

Brick was slightly amused at the lecturing tone of his counterpart. He got a pen and paper and wrote his reply.

…

* * *

 _August 6, 2005,_

 _Dear Blossom C.L. Utonium, Leader of the PPG, etc…_

 _Thank you for your advice, , and I'll keep that in mind. I do know the responsibilities of being a superhero,_ _even if I am evil._ _Me and my brothers would act as superheroes and act good until it is time to conquer the world. But thank you for reminding me of the value of life and how it relates to acting like a superhero. As per our agreement, I will always listen to such sensible advice._

 _Isn't it ironic? We're villains, but we're acting like heroes?_

 _And yes, I will rule the entire world. Not just this city, or this state, or this country, though of course, I will start small. And yes, I will take care of my subjects once I attain full power since I know better than to kill the goose that lays the golden eggs. For a contented people would be more willing to pay taxes and serve in my armies, isn't that right?_

 _It is my destiny._

 _And thank you for your gift. That crown really made my day, as you might have guessed based on my actions on my birthday. I will keep it with me for as long as I live, and when I am crowned Emperor for real, I am going to use that crown._

 _As for Bubbles, now don't be like that. The truth of the matter is, I really don't have much to say, as most of the time, I'm too busy writing back when she's playing with my brothers. Though I can say that she impressed me a lot. She wasn't the sissy that I thought she was! Didn't cry and ran to daddy when we thought she would! She's a good sport, and according to my brothers, a fantastic playmate. She proved she can hang out with us._

 _Who knows? Maybe she'll actually fight one of us in our fighting games? Though she'll lose horribly to Butch and me, come to think of it._

 _As for the swimming episode, that was funny! She looked like, as Butch said, "a wet chicken". And there's nothing to apologize for. It's just normal horseplay._

 _Looking forward to more letters._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Brick K. C. Jojo, Leader of the RRB, etc…_

* * *

He remembered Blossom's gift. The crown. It was a sign, a sign that he would, indeed, rule the world when he grows up.

He sealed the letter in an envelope and flew to where the other kids were playing.

He found Boomer tickling Bubbles on the ground, besides the mighty oak, using the blue puff's loud laughter as a guide.

"I give! Ha ha ha ha!" Bubbles said, clutching her tummy, as Boomer's hands tickled her on the collarbone. "My tummy's hurting! I'm it! I'm it! I'm itttttt!"

"I think that's enough," Brick said in amusement, and Boomer stopped, and laughed a bit.

Bubbles stood up, dusted her dress, and saw Brick. There was a look of disappointment. "You've finished already?" she asked with a sad tone.

"Yeah. Here's Pinky's letter," Brick instructed, handing to Bubbles. "Could you please give it to your big sister?"

She smiled at him and took the letter, and said, "I'd love to!" she said. "See ya soon!"

"You should be it!" Boomer argued as they watched Bubbles fly away, "since it's supposed to be Bubbles!"

"Alright, I'm it!" said Brick, and gave a punch to Boomer's head, sending him to the dirt and catching him completely by surprise. "You're it! Got ya!"

* * *

 _ **6 (195). Mange vs Mr. Bear**_

Bubbles giggled as she flew home. She had so much fun! Even if the actual game was too violent for her taste, she still enjoyed having fun with Boomer and Butch. She understood that when she was with them, she must play by their rules, just as if any one of them was with the Powerpuff Girls, he would have to play by their rules. She imagined Boomer playing tea party with herself and her sisters, and she giggled even harder.

But Buttercup would enjoy all their violent games, no doubt about it!

Boomer, Boomer, Boomer. Her cute crush. Her friend. Although Boomer still denied that she was _his_ friend since according to him, he was still evil and they were still enemies.

All in good time. He would realize how silly he was being. If Ms. Keane was right, and there was no doubt in her mind that she was, he would eventually stop pretending to be good and actually become good! Then he could actually admit that they were friends and that he liked her, just as she liked him!

For now, she would have to be content with his actions. Actions, as they say, speaks louder than words.

She arrived home and looked for her sister. There she was, in their room, playing with one of her dolls, with a small comb, and brushing the long red hair of 'Suzie', the name of the doll.

"Is it Suzie's time to fix her hair?" Bubbles asked.

"Yes. After that, it's tea party time!" Blossom said.

"I'll set it up!" Bubble said. She loved playing tea party.

She set up the plastic table and six plastic chairs. Bubbles gathered her stuffed animals. There was Octi, and Mr. Rabbit, a white bunny. She got her plastic tea party set, then went to the kitchen.

The thing about their tea party game was that instead of actually pretending to drink or eat, they used actual food. She put cold milk in their teapot. And cookies on their small plate, and some M&Ms chocolate on the bowl.

She set everything up—the teapot, her stuffed animal, the food.

"Buttercup!" Bubbles shouted. "Tea party time!"

Now Buttercup was a strange case. She normally hated playing really girly games, but not tea parties. For tea parties also doubled as snack time. The toughest fighter really liked the cookies served, which she could only eat it at their tea party snacks—a fact which Bubbles knew all too well and which she used to induce her middle sister to partake in such activities.

Blossom came over and put Suzie on one chair, then sat beside it. Then Bubbles put on her two stuffed animals, Mr. Bear and Octi, on either side of her.

Then Buttercup entered…

With her doll. Covered in a green blanket.

"You brought a doll!" Bubbles squealed.

" _Action figure, not doll_!" she asserted. "She is Mange! She works in the dark, and derives her power from the shadows she lives in! She comes out only in the night! And she works with Spore!"

"And you covered her with your blankie!" Bubbles cooed.

"Only to give her strength and power!" Buttercup proudly asserted as she put the blanket covered action figure on her chair. It was all black, with only the eyes visible on her head. "Whatever is good enough for me is good enough for Mange! After all, I am Mange!"

Buttercup was about to take her seat when Bubbles realized something. Blossom, Suzie, Bubbles, Mr. Bear, Octi, Mange. That's six! And she only had six chairs!

"Quick, Bubbles, Octi is your favorite, right?" Buttercup with an evil grin.

"I guess so," Bubbles replied, not liking Buttercup's smile.

"Look! Mr. Bear is being possessed by evil!" she said. "Mr. Bear has become evil! Time for Mange!"

Buttercup grabbed the stuffed bear, grabbed her action figure, and hit the stuffed bear with Mange. "What's that, Mange? You want me to finish off Mr. Bear? Don't worry, _I will_!"

She then threw the stuffed bear on the floor, stomped on it, and threw it against the wall. "The evil is gone!"

She then sat on the empty chair as if nothing had happened.

"Mr. Bear!" Bubbles shrieked before she "fainted".

* * *

 _ **7 (196). Tea Party Time**_

Blossom giggled as she watched the proceedings. She smiled as Buttercup tried to lay her hands on the cookies.

Then almost like clockwork, Bubbles "recovered" and slapped the green puff's hand.

"Not yet!" she scolded.

"Aw, it was a good try," Buttercup pouted before she sat back.

Bubbles then got the teapot, and began asking, in a fake British accent, "Tea, Blossom?"

"Yes, thank you, Bubbles," Blossom said, and Bubbles poured milk into the cup.

Shen asked Suzie, and Blossom spoke for her doll, "Suzie would want some, please."

And she pretended to pour milk on her cup—it remained empty, and the girls pretended it was full.

"Tea, Buttercup?"

Buttercup said, "pour it!"

"Say it politely!"

"Yes, Bubbles, please, thank you," Buttercup replied, before sticking out her tongue.

Bubbles stuck her tongue out before put milk on her sister's cup, then she went to Octi and finally, gave herself milk.

As they begin to settle down, Bubbles got something from her pocket. "Oh Blossom, here's a letter from your beau, Brick!"

"Thank you, Bubbles," Blossom said politely, taking the letter, "and he is not my beau."

Blossom was irritated by Bubbles' constant teasing, which had intensified after the birthday party and the crown and the aftermath.

"If that is so, then why did he kiss you on his birthday?" Bubbles asked.

"It's only on the cheeks! And only to thank me for my gift!" Blossom replied.

"So what did he say on his love letter?" asked Bubbles before she took a sip.

Blossom opened the envelope and quickly read it. "This is not a love letter."

"Why don't you read it to us, Red?" Buttercup said as she grabbed a cookie that she had been eyeing ever since she entered the room.

"Why should I?" Blossom asserted. "It's private."

"Oh, so there's a declaration of love in the letter?" Bubbles cooed.

"Fine, I'll read it!" Blossom snapped. And she read it all except the final paragraphs that concerned Bubbles. "See? It's gratitude for my gift!"

Bubbles only giggled at that, Buttercup rolled her eyes, but thankfully, the topic was dropped.

"So are you going to write a reply?" Bubbles asked eagerly.

Blossom raised an eyebrow as she bit a cookie.

"You only want to visit Boomer!" Buttercup charged.

"Yeah, so? He's cute!" Bubbles defended.

"Oh, you two are hopeless!" Buttercup said as she drank her milk. "More tea, please."

Bubbles smiled and poured more milk into Buttercup's cup. "So are you going to write back?"

"Yes."

"And can I deliver it?"

Just like clockwork.

"Yes."

"Thank you, thank you," Bubbles said in a rapid fashion. Even if Blossom did not like some of the rough games that the boys played and included Bubbles in, she was too convenient a mail girl for her to stop it. And besides, by all indications, she was having fun.

"Of course, Bubbles," Blossom began, "you don't have to join if their fun is too rough."

"Aw, but you joined in too!" she replied. "Remember that Spy Game?"

The spy game was a game where Boomer "kidnapped" Bubbles for being a "spy", held her prisoner in the Rowdyruff home, and Brick demanded a ransom from Blossom, which she paid to the boys. (And returned of course, at the end of the day).

"If you ask me, both of you are being too chummy with them! They're still evil, remember?" Buttercup said before she took another bite of another cookie.

"Don't be like that," Blossom scolded. "They are not our friends, but they will be our allies. And they are 'pretending' to be good. And according to Ms. Keane, they will become good in time. Just trust our teacher, okay?"

"If you say so, but you don't have to get all close to them before they actually become good."

"But this way, we can accelerate the process! The more kindness we show them, the faster they will actually become good," Blossom asserted. "Besides, what could we do? Fight them? We're gonna lose, and you know it."

"They just got lucky!"

"No, they got smarter," Blossom countered. The memory of the last fight was still stinging. How could they, the Powerpuff Girls, lose such an easy fight? "Besides, we're in a permanent truce. We just signed an agreement, remember?"

"You just want to write letters to Brick!" Buttercup accused.

"Yes. And so what?" Blossom answered before she grabbed some M&M's on the bowl.  
"I give up! You two are hopeless!" Buttercup asserted.

* * *

 _ **8 (197). The Father of the Rowdyruff Boys**_

 _Later…_

It was about six in the evening…

"What's up, Pops?" asked Brick as he looked at Mojo Jojo.

Mojo Jojo was very pleased. It had been a few days since he was pardoned by the Mayor. It had been a funny scene! The Mayor kept screaming that he was being attacked—not that he blamed him. After all, he did attack him numerous times before—one time even stripping him naked!

He had a new mission in life. It was to prepare his children, the Rowdyruff Boys, for their destiny, for their future! They will rule the world! And his eldest, Brick, will be Emperor! For now, while they were too young to do so, they will act good, avoid trouble, become even more educated, win the trust of the people, and build a party of followers. And he, Mojo Jojo, will use his scientific knowledge to get patents and get himself rich! Then use his wealth to win Brick the influence and reach needed for his goals!

All because of Ms. Sandy Keane. She was the one who made it possible to be reunited with his sons!

But first, he needed to make sure his sons would be better superheroes than those accursed Powerpuff Girls.

They were in his laboratory at their home in the woods. The Rowdyruff Home had a wing which was his laboratory. He had installed a couple of tools and machines so he could do work there in addition to his volcano-top laboratory, which he intended to establish as the headquarters of his new corporation.

"I have gifts for you, my evil sons!" he said.

"Gifts?" asked Boomer, with a big smile on his face.

"Yes. Gifts. But first, an introduction. You now are _acting_ as superheroes. Which means that you are not really superheroes, but only acting as such. Because you _are_ villains, but you are _not acting_ as villains. _To_ win the trust of the people. So I like what you are doing. Battling monsters and other villains.

"But to do that, you need something. You need to know when something is going to happen so that you can perform heroics for the benefit of the people and the cameras!"

"We got the hotline!" said Brick.

"I know. Before, you need to make a patrol on the beach to make sure you get some monsters to fight. Now, a hotline is perfectly adequate for the likes of the Powerpuff Girls, but it has limitations. For one, you are not home every day. What if you're outside and it rings? True, the city will still be saved, but by the Powerpuff Girls! Those accursed girls would get all the glory! It's inconvenient.

"So I was thinking, how to improve on the hotline? Then it hit me! Like a ton of bricks. No pun intended, my dear future emperor eldest son! You need something like a cellular phone. But you're too young to have such cellular phones. You'll get those when you're older. But where was I? Yes. What could I use to make it better? A watch. I'm going to give you watches."

"Watches?" Butch exclaimed skeptically.

"But it tells time!" Boomer argued.

"And nothing else!" Brick agreed.

* * *

 _ **9 (198). Mojo's Gifts**_

"But it does something else! You see, these are communicator watches! I altered the technology of the basic cellular phone so that it could be compressed into a watch. And then, I rerouted the hotline so that it would pass the call to your watches," he said. "Then I made the watch to be tough and virtually indestructible, water proof, fire proof, even idiot proof! And you can call each other, and me, or anyone else who had such a watch, anytime, anywhere."

He then gave each of his sons a white box.

"Open it! And wear it proudly!" he cackled.

The three boys opened the box and gazed at their watches. It looked like an ordinary Rolex watch, but with small buttons at the side.

"Awesome!" Brick shouted as he admired his new watch.

"How do you use this thing?" Boomer asked.

"I would teach you how to use it, but later. Now, I'll go to your second gift. But first, a lecture."

"Aw, that sounds boring!" Butch whined.

Mojo ignored him as he began. "My sons, you are made of Chemical X. That gives you your powers and separates you from mere ordinary mortals. For you are better than mere mortals. You are above all of humanity, just like the Powerpuff Girls, but unlike them, you recognize your superiority and are proud of it.

"However, Chemical X isn't some invulnerable concoction, that is to say, it cannot be countered. That is wrong. It is not invulnerable because is it vulnerable. However, that which can render it vulnerable is rare, fortunately for you. Only the Professor Utonium, creator and father of those accursed Powerpuff Girls, knows that which can render it powerless. And by that, I mean, only he has the chemical that makes it possible to counteract Chemical X."

He then removed a white cloth cover from the table of his lab, and revealed a round-bottom flask, the mouth of which was covered with a cork, and filled with an orange-red liquid. On the flask was written, 'Antidote X.'

"Antidote X is one which can remove your powers and render you just as helpless as an ordinary human. I once used it on the Powerpuff Girls when I sneaked in on their party, and they were rendered helpless. Unfortunately, due to certain complications, I wasn't able to complete my mission, and the girls escaped their just desserts! And since you are made of Chemical X, this antidote X cannot permanently remove your powers. It is always there. No matter what. Antidote X only suppresses it!

"At first, we thought that Antidote X does permanently remove Chemical X powers. That was what the Powerpuff Girls proposed after their first battle, and that is what a certain gnome did, in exchange for the end of violence. Now that is a story I'll tell some other time, but here is my point. Dropping a vial of Antidote X on a creation of Chemical X would only have temporary effects. And it would only affect you for hours, at the most. The next day after that accursed slumber Party, the girls were back to their super selves."

"Wait, you went to a Powerpuff slumber party?" asked Boomer, trying to suppress a giggle.

Mojo blushed. "Yes, and that is a story I would tell another time. But let me finish without any digression. You see, Antidote X is very rare and very expensive to make. It took me quite a long time to research how to make one, and I only recently cracked the formula. I only finished the other day. Now, we could drench the Powerpuff Girls with it, but now, I believe that your plan with Ms. Keane is the best. We will keep this Antidote X as a reserve. Just in case.

"However, there are times that, unrelated to trying to kill or defeat the Powerpuff Girls or each other, it's a good idea to only be as strong as an ordinary human. If you want to play with ordinary humans, it's best if you are only as strong as the strongest of them. However, using Antidote X is wasteful, and unpredictable. You do not know when your powers will return. That is why I invented the Antidote X rope, or Antirope, for short."

* * *

 _ **10 (199). The Antirope**_

He then unveiled coils of orange rope. He took a length, about three feet long. He tossed it to Butch. "This is rope which I dipped in Antidote X. Hence the color."

"You, tie it around you."

"Where?"

"Anywhere, as long as it's tied around skin, not clothes."

Butch tied round his forehead.

"You look funny!" Boomer giggled.

"Try to fly."

Butch jumped but fell to the floor.

"Hey, what gives?"

"Try using your laser eyes."

Butch concentrated, but nothing happened.

"Punch Boomer."

Butch smacked Boomer, but Boomer just stood there, and Butch said, "What is going on?"

"You see, you are now an ordinary boy."

"What? You tricked us!" Brick suddenly shouted.

"Wait, wait. This is no trick. Butch, remove the rope on your head."

Butch did as ordered.

"Now try to fly."

He was hesitant at first, but when he tried, he floated. "What the?"

"Zap Brick with laser."

Butch's eyes glowed and zapped Brick, who screamed in pain.

"See? You can turn on or off your powers by the simple expedient of trying this piece of rope on any part of your body. Now you can play baseball, or basketball, or soccer with your ordinary friends, without holding back, without fear of killing or maiming your friends. Best of all, you can use or reuse it as many times as you like. So I don't recommend cutting it. I will teach you knots so you won't have to use knives or scissors as this rope is expensive, but also as weak as ordinary rope."

"Awesome!" all three boys said, their eyes just staring at the orange rope, anticipating the possibilities.

"However, I made an adjustment. Just so if some evil villain tries to kill you while wearing this rope, I made it so that while it makes you weak, you keep your invulnerability. You can't die unless it would also kill you with your full powers on. Boomer, tie it to yourself."

Boomer got the rope from Butch, pulled down his socks, and tied it around his bare ankles.

He tried to float, but he was unsuccessful.

"Butch, punch him as hard as you can."

Before Boomer could react, Butch buried his hand on the blue ruff's stomach and clutched it, his face etched in pain, and fell to the floor, and screamed in agony.

"That's your hardest?"

"Yes."

"If he's truly ordinary, he would be dead. A normal human could not withstand it. So he's not totally without his powers. He cannot use it, but it would still protect him. So if you fall off a thousand foot cliff while tied up in these orange rope, don't worry. You won't die. You'll only suffer injuries if it's strong enough to injure you while you have superpowers. If you want to remove your invulnerability, you have to be soaked in Antidote X."

"This so cool!" Brick and Butch shouted. Boomer untied the rope on his ankle, and he recovered fast and joined his brothers in amazement at their father's new invention and toy.

 _End of Chapter One_

As always, please do me a favor and review if you've read this chapter. Reviews really lighten my day and makes me very happy. Thank you very much for reading!

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

This is a sequel to my story _An Education For Power_. However, I will write it in such a way that anyone who would start reading here would not be lost, so I will narrate or repeat some events that happened in the previous story that is pertinent to the events of this current story. So readers of the previous story, I apologize if some things that you already know were repeated again. It's for the benefit of new readers.

Of course, I would encourage all who haven't done so to read the previous story. It would be much better and would make this story much more enjoyable.

And if you have questions about this story or of the previous story, just ask me in the reviews, and I'll answer it the next time I post an update.


	2. I (V) - Capture Bubbles

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Powerpuff Girls. It is owned and created by Craig McCraken, and by Cartoon Network.

* * *

 **An Education From HIM**

Peace reigns between the Powerpuff Girls and Rowdyruff Boys. Even as the boys claims that they remain evil, they become close to their counterparts, becoming penpals and playmates to each other. Yet HIM watches, and vows to shatter their peace. Chapter 2. Boomer has a nasty surprise for Bubbles. How will Blossom and Bubbles react to Boomer's actions? And what is HIM up to?

 **Book I (V)**

 **Preliminary Skirmishes**

* * *

 **Chapter II (XXI)**

 **Capture Bubbles**

 _Please, please, leave a review. Thank you._

 _ **11 (200). The Plot**_

 _The next day, August 7, 2005, Sunday…_

Boomer was excited. He had been planning this caper ever since the night before, when his father introduced them to the special rope orange rope. It was perfect! He had long wanted to play another "Spy" game with Bubbles and Brick, but now, he could raise the stakes and make it even more fun and realistic!

It was just after lunch. Brick had rolled the lowest number in the die throw, and thus, was stuck with dishwashing duty. Butch was in the woods, hunting their dinner. His father was busy in his laboratory at home, so he had lots of free time.

The only problem was that the Princess Bubbles had not yet come to deliver the Big Bad Wolf's letter. What's keeping her? He had been expecting her since morning. And he knew that she was very eager to deliver her sister's letters.

So he found himself flying towards the Powerpuff Home. He flew high and through the clouds to conceal his flight from curious onlookers.

And there it was! The white square house of the Powerpuff Girls in the middle of the suburbs.

 _Suburbs_!

He shuddered. How people could live in such a crowded place? Compared to their peaceful forest home, he could not know. Too many people! Too few trees! Where were the wild animals that they needed to hunt to eat? Of course, he knew of groceries and restaurants, but he still could not believe that they bought _all_ their food! Butch would be horrified if he could not hunt! Heck, he could not believe the Rowdyruff Boys lived in this kind of place before they tied up Fuzzy Lumpkins and kicked him out of his shack!

And looking at the white square house, he again shuddered. Bad memories came back—being kidnapped by the girls, being put into that light, being stripped of his clothes, Princess wearing his clothes, the girls pretending to be him and making him look like a total loser, all for stealing a candy! (1) It's not fair! Even after all the events of the past year, it still haunted him. He wanted to ran away and cry. He wanted to stop this entire thing. That was a reason he cannot like Bubbles.

He willed himself to remain. After all, he was kidnapping Bubbles, so this could be considered revenge. And it would fun, fun, fun! Won't his brothers be surprised? He imagined the reaction of Butch and Brick!

Of course, he had to do this right, or he might be seen. Worse, he might get caught by the girls and he would again be in trouble! He cannot let that happen.

He looked down, and saw nothing. Where was Princess? Maybe she was inside. He turned on his x-ray vision.

There she was in her normal blue dress! And what good timing too. Big Bad Wolf Blossom was giving the blonde girl a white envelope. No doubt it was for his big brother Brick. And Bubbles just as eagerly grabbed it.

Perfect!

* * *

 _ **12 (201). Bubbles' Day Begins**_

 _Meanwhile…_

Bubbles was getting impatient.

Why was Blossom taking so long to write her letter?

She hoped it won't take too long, like the one after the boys' birthday. Which took four days! Four days before she was able to see her Boomie! Granted, she could just visit, but it would look weird if she had no reason to. After all, Boomer hasn't invited her to come over, and it would be rude to just drop in. And her sister might not approve of them just visiting each other. After all, the boys were still officially evil.

"Is the letter finished?" she asked again.

"Nearly done," said Blossom, sitting on a chair in their room in front of the table, writing her letter. "All I need is some peace and quiet, and I'll finish it sooner than later."

"Could you tell what time?" asked a persistent blue puff.

"Time of what?"

"Time you'll get done with the letter."

"What time is it?"

"About eleven."

"Then after lunch!"

Bubbles face fell, but Blossom was adamant, so the blonde went downstairs.

…

* * *

 _Later_ …

"Are you finished?" asked Bubbles after they had washed the dishes after lunch.

"Yes," said Blossom, giving the envelop to Bubbles. "I finished just before lunch. Could you deliver this letter to Brick?"

"Oh I'd love to!" Bubbles said, putting the letter on the pocket of her dress.

She rushed to the front door, opened the door, closed it again, but before she could fly away…

Someone grabbed her from behind, as she stood on the porch. An arm wrapped around her tummy and her arms, trapping her hands uselessly besides her, and a hand covered her mouth.

Then he flew her away, dragging her with him. But she did not panic. Or struggle. Or even try to escape. She instead giggled. She knew it was Boomer.

 _Oh another Spy game,_ she thought. As she enjoyed the last such game, she had no doubt she would be looking forward to an afternoon of fun.

They flew to the Rowdyruff Home, and went straight to Boomer's room through his open window. There, her eyes widened when she saw coils of orange rope, rolls of tape, and handkerchiefs on top of his blue bed. Silly Boomer! He knows she can easily snap it like a thread! But she'll play along! This was so much fun!

He finally let go of her but immediately turned her around so her back was facing him and pulled her hands behind her, but she said, "wait, I need to give the letter to Brick."

Boomer was unsure of that, so he let her go, and she extracted the letter from her pocket and gave it to him. He took it, glanced at it, and placed it on the table.

"What are you planning to do with a beautiful Princess like me, you vile fiend?" Bubbles demanded melodramatically.

"Why, you'll fetch a fine ransom, Princess!" Boomer replied as he again pulled her arms behind her and began tying her. He tied her crossed hands, then added more rope round her waist and hands, then her shoulders. He sat her on the bed, before tying her ankles, then her knees. "Try to get out. Seriously."

"But I'll destroy the ropes! It's expensive!" Bubbles protested, getting out of character.

"Just do it!"

"It's your loss!" she said. She tried to snap the ropes. It should be very easy. But… it held. They were like iron bands, and after a brief struggle, Bubbles realized she was truly stuck.

"Try to fly."

Bubbles tried, then realized she couldn't. She began to panic. "My powers! What happened—"

"Easy there, Princess. You still have your powers. Only you can't use them while you're tied up in that orange rope. As soon as you're untied, you'll be as good as new! And you can't get hurt even if you're not as powerful."

"Are you sure?"

"Rowydruff Honor!" Boomer said, putting his left hand on his chest, and raising his right hand, bowing his head a little as he did so.

"You've really tied me up!"

"It wouldn't be much of a kidnapping if you could easily escape!" Boomer laughed. "Why? Are you too chicken to play this game? Backing out?"

Was her Boomie expecting her to chicken out? "No, I'm not afraid! I was just surprised!"

"Now, where were we? Oh yes. You're gonna fetch a fine ransom. Let's see. What story books do you have that I haven't read?"

" _Snow White_?"

"Read that already."

"How about the _Donkey Cabbages_?"

"That sounds hilarious. I'll take that."

 _"Rapunzel?"_

"Yeah. Haven't read that. Heard that it's a bit girly, but a story's a story."

"Oh you'll like the tale. How about some special cookies?"

"What about it?"

"Oh it's the special cookies that the Professor bought me. I only bring it out during our Tea Party Games. Buttercup loves it!"

"Really?"

"Yeah. Buttercup plays tea party with us just so she can eat my cookies!"

Boomer gave a loud laugh. "Buttercup, playing tea party? Now I've heard everything!"

"She's just being nice. Want some of my cookies?"

"Oh sure. I'll have some. I'll put it in the ransom note."

"You know, you could just borrow normally! I'll be happy to share with you, Boomie."

"I could, but that's boring. Where's the fun in that? Besides, we're not friends, so I can't borrow from you," he said as he wrote his demands.

"Aw, you just want to spend time with me!" Bubbles teased. "That's why you took me!"

"I'm evil. What could be more evil than kidnapping you?"

"Killing me. Stealing. Let's see, beating me within an inch of my life. Oh and stealing candy."

"Oh shut up!" Boomer said in a friendly tone as he went behind Bubbles.

"Hey, I want to mmphhh!" Bubbles said but was interrupted when a roll of cloth was shoved into her mouth, followed by a cloth tied across her open mouth and knotted behind her head. Then, he took a roll of silver duct tape and wrapped it tightly over her mouth and the cloths, about five times.

"Perfect!" Boomer said, looking at his helpless captive. "Now you really are kidnapped!"

"Mm mmmphh mmppph mpphhh!" she said as she tried to say ' _I can't really talk'_ , as she looked at her grinning captor.

Helpless at the hands of Boomer, what would happen next? She wasn't afraid. After all, they were just playing. And this was neat. After all, she wouldn't have to pretend that she couldn't escape! She was very curious what the blond boy had in store for her. She was sure that whatever it was, it would be fun.

Suddenly, he began to tickle her. His hands were all over her tummy, then her neck, her collarbone, and her ribs, all very ticklish. She laughed, and laughed, and laughed, and she was helpless! She didn't know if she could take it anymore, but fortunately, he stopped, and suddenly bolted out of the room.

* * *

 _ **13 (202). A Proud Brother**_

Boomer was delighted! Everything had gone according to plan! There she was, helpless, under his mercy! His enemy! His tormentor in the past! Unable to do anything, unable to talk. There was rush as he felt exhilaration and power course through him!

Best of all, he knew he wasn't going to be in real trouble. After all, she did say before that she wouldn't get him in trouble if he kidnapped her and tied her up. He laughed evilly. After giving her a tickle, he decided it's time to gloat, and to have Brick deliver his ransom demands. He figured that they would get what he wanted before sundown, and have Princess free by that time.

He took one last look at the helpless figure, and bolted out. "BRICK! BRICK!" he shouted, looking for his big brother.

His brother was, as usual, reading in his room. So, politely, he barged in, and said, "Bro, you gotta see what I got! C'mon! C'mon!" he jumped for emphasis, his right hand pointing in the direction of his room.

Brick rolled his eyes as he put down his book. "What is it?"

"Just come!" Boomer insisted, and he grabbed his brother's wrists, and literally pulled him out of the leader's room.

"Okay, I'm going! I'm going!" Brick finally said, pulling his hand from Boomer's grip.

They walked to Boomer's room, and the youngest ruff proudly showed off his captive to his leader.

* * *

…

Brick was dumfounded as he stared at Bubbles. His mouth was wide open, and his big red eyes widened. "What's going on here?

"I kidnapped her at her home, and brought her here!"

"Foolish boy! Don't you know that this could mean trouble?" he asked his brother, looking at him as if he had gone mad.

"Nah! We're only playing."

"And Pop's antirope is not a toy!"

"Aw, don't be like that, Brick! You know very well that it would be very handy against the girls!"

"So what are you gonna do with her?" asked Brick.

"Not me! You! Could you please write the Big Bad Wolf a ransom note? Here's what I want," the youngest ruff said as he gave his leader the list he made.

Brick read it.

"How do you know she has all of this stuff?"

"Oh she told me before I gagged her," he said. "I didn't know what I was gonna ask."

Brick smiled and suddenly, all worry vanished. _They were just playing!_ He need not worry that his stupid brother would ruin all his plans, the truce, or the agreement! He looked at Bubbles, and her big blue eyes didn't reveal any sign of real distress, worry, or fear.

"Let me take care of it. By the way, did she have a letter from Blossom?"

Before Boomer could say anything, Butch came from downstairs. "What's the racket?" he said before pushing his way in. He looked at Bubbles, and slapped Boomer hard in the back.

"Never knew you had it in you, lil' bro! I never imagined you could be so awesome!" he said, then laughed. "Boom, you really are something!"

Boomer looked proud as he got the envelope from the table and handed it to Brick.

"Okay, Boomer, you watch her. He's your captive," he said, "I'll write the ransom note."

"How about me?" asked Butch.

"Want to join this game?"

"Wouldn't miss this for the world!"

"You're gonna deliver this to Pinky."

…

* * *

 _ **14 (203). The Pink Puff's Letter**_

 _August 7, 2005_

 _Dear Brick Kenneth Charles Jojo,_

 _You're welcome! Our advice and guidance would make you much better superheroes!_

 _It's not ironic. It's not what you call yourself that matters, but how you act. Actions speak louder than words. By your actions, you are more of a hero than a villain._

 _I'd love to see you try. As long as it's legal, I'm going to support you, or at least I won't oppose you. Let's see. Brick Jojo, Mayor of Townsville, Governor of Maine, President of the United States! All attainable, and if you develop sufficient popularity, more likely than not. But try to do it by force and I'll be your most implacable enemy. Take care to stick to the law, Brick. I'm warning you._

 _You're welcome. I'm so glad you like it. I admit I was surprised by how you acted after you received it. And before you ask me, the crowning was a spur of a moment thing. I did not plan it. It just occurred to me that it would be neat, and it would nicely compliment my gift. That it turned out to be such a success was fortunate._

 _Bubbles is the nicest and sweetest sister one could ask for. She is very precious. But do not let her attitudes and looks deceive you. She could be tough when toughness is needed. But that doesn't give you the right to just let her play with a boy's game that is inappropriate for her age! She is a girl. She is not a boy like you. She does not like violence for its sake! She does not like to hurt her friends just for fun!_

 _Fighting for fun is barbaric and unacceptable behavior. I know you like to fight each other for fun. I can only tolerate it from you, because I don't want to meddle in what is not my business._

 _But I plead and advice for you and your brothers to stop fighting each other for fun!_ _It's not healthy and is morally wrong_ _._

 _And DO NOT fight my youngest sister, under any circumstance, even if Bubbles herself begged that she fight you for play._

 _DO NOT DO INCLUDE HER._

 _I FORBID IT._

 _If you even think of fighting her, then this would mean the end of the truce and I would regard it as a breach of an agreement._

 _As for the swimming episode, Boomer shouldn't have done that, but what's done is done._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Blossom Catherine Lynn Utonium, Leader of the PPG, etc…_

* * *

Brick read the letter again and again. Pinky was such a killjoy. Does she expect that he would not allow Bubbles to play with his brothers? And Blossom called him and his brothers barbarians for fighting with each other!

 _The nerve!_

She shouldn't have let Bubbles be her delivery girl if she was so concerned!

Who does Blossom think she was lecturing him on how they should act or play or have fun?

Still, he would need to be on her good side, or she might not take too kindly to Boomer kidnapping and tying up Bubbles. He can imagine her outrage about letting Bubbles play such a "violent" game!

Time to write back. And also demand ransom.

* * *

 _ **15 (204). Rumplestiltskin is my Name**_

 _August 7, 2005_

 _Dear Blossom C.L. Utonium,_

 _I am a villain. No matter how I act, I will always be a villain._

 _I'm gonna you hold on those promises! Just you wait until I rule this city!_

 _Think nothing of it. I love the crown, and crowning me in front of all the people was just icing on the cake. I never thought you'd have such faith in me as your future ruler!_

 _I assure you, nobody tried to fight Bubbles or tried to include her in our fighting games. The games in which she joined, though rough, was not really violent compared to our truly violent activities. You should see us fight for fun, and you'll see that the horseplay and the other games we play is just child's play._

 _And you are right. It's not your place to meddle on how we have fun. So please, don't even try._

 _By the way:_

 _We have Bubbles! She is our prisoner. If you want to see her again, you must deliver to us the following:_

 _Her books titled Donkey Cabbages, Rapunzel and some of Princess Bubbles' special cookies for Tea Party._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Brick K.C. Jojo, Leader of the RRB, etc…_

* * *

…

Brick read the letter. It wasn't the longest letter he wrote, but he feared that he might write something he'd regret if he wasn't brief. His first impulse was to write what he really was thinking about, but he desisted after he realized it might not be a good idea.

He went to Boomer's room, took a picture of her with a polaroid camera, put the picture with the letter on the envelop, and shouted, "BUTCH!"

"Yeah, big bro?" asked the middle brother as soon as he arrived in Brick's room.

"Deliver this to Pinky," Brick said, giving the letter.

Butch took it and flew away.

…

* * *

 _Meanwhile…_

Boomer was in his room, looking at Bubbles with his big dark blue eyes, bored. That was the disadvantage of really tying her up. After the initial rush was gone, there was nothing to do, unlike when Bubbles was only pretending to be tied. Then, they could talk, and play. Now, what? Just guarding her was boring! Should he untie her? Nah! She was his until the ransom arrives. He stared at Bubbles, thinking of what to do to pass the time.

Bubbles too was staring at him too with her big light blue eyes. In fact, they were staring at each other, and then burst into laughter at the silliness of it all. He imagined that if he was bored, then so was Bubbles, and it was probably worse for her, as he could easily go and do something else, while Bubbles… can't, except wiggle helplessly.

His eyes went to his story books, and he remembered the last time Bubbles was his prisoner, though not tied up.

"Want me to read a story for you?"

Bubbles nodded eagerly.

He floated to his bookshelf, and began to read the titles. "Let's see. How about _Dick Whittington and his Cat_?"

Bubbles shook her head.

" _Tom Thumb_?"

Another shake of the head.

" _The Fox and the Wolf_."

She shook her head.

" _Rumplestiltskin_?"

Bubbles nodded.

He inwardly groaned. Why did she choose a girly tale? But he would have to keep her happy, or he would really get in trouble.

"Okay. How shall we do this?" he began. The book has few pictures, so he decided he would just read it to her, but with acting.

He positioned Bubbles so she sat on his chair, and he stood in the middle of the room, his book on one hand.

"Now I'm going to tell the tale of Rumplestiltskin!" he began, before bowing.

"Once upon a time, there was a Miller, who told the king that his daughter, whose name is…"

The name in the story was Gisella.

"…whose name was Bubbles, could weave straw into gold."

…

* * *

Boomer read the story in his usual lively way. But the highlight of the storytelling was when Boomer got a bunch of red paper, which he explained was a "bonfire". He got his fiddle, and began to play while singing the song of the imp near the end of the tale, while dancing round the "fire".

 _Never, never, never_

 _Will Queen Bubbles guess my name_

 _Happy, happy, happy_

 _I am so happy with this game!_

 _Forever and ever and ever and ever_

 _The answer's still the same!_

 _Rapture, rapture, rapture_

 _Rumplestiltskin is my name_!"

The funny thing was, though Boomer's singing voice was absolutely atrocious, his dancing was passable, while his playing the fiddle was perfect. But he was so obviously happy and enjoying himself. And Bubbles could not help but giggle and sigh at Boomer under all the layers of her gag. For the first time, he was giving her his _sole_ attention for an extended period of time, and she loved it. It would not be an exaggeration to say that this was her best time spent with Boomer yet.

…

* * *

After the storytelling was over, Boomer again bowed before Bubbles, and she would have applauded him if she could.

"I always do this for my brothers," Boomer began to explain. "Butch only reads comics while Brick doesn't read stories. Yet they love hearing about it, so some nights, I would read to them some of my fairy tales. And I had to read well, or they might get bored, and I'd get beat up for telling a boring story!"

…

* * *

 _ **16 (205). Buttercup's Plan**_

Looking out from her window, Blossom saw a streak of dark green light approach from the direction of the forest. She put down her book. Exploring the satellites of the Planet Neptune would have to wait. And if Butch was here, where was Bubbles?

She flew down, and waited.

 _*DING DONG*_

The doorbell rang, and she opened the door.

"Pink Eyes!" Butch called out, and handed a letter. "From my chief!"

Blossom grabbed the letter. "Thank you."

"Read it at once, if you want Bubbles to stay safe," he said in a menacing tone, before leaving.

Burning with curiosity, she opened the letter, and gasped as she saw the picture of Bubbles tied up and gagged. She quickly read the letter, especially the part about Bubbles. "Bubbles, what have you gotten yourself into?" she asked loudly.

"What happened to Bubbles?" Buttercup said as she appeared.

"The boys kidnapped her!" the leader said as she handed the picture to Buttercup.

"What! I told you those boys were up to no good! No good would come from that truce!" the green puff ranted.

"Hold your horses, Buttercup. They're just playing."

"Playing? How would you know they weren't serious?"

"She's tied up. _With rope._ She could easily snap it if she wants," Blossom said. "She's pretending she's really tied up."

"Oh. So what do we do? Should we go and rescue her, guns blazing?"

"No? We play along and pay her ransom," Blossom said.

"What's the ransom?" asked the green puff.

Blossom told her.

"What? I can only eat those delicious cookies during your stupid tea party games!" Buttercup ranted, "and you'll give it to those boys, who, just a few weeks ago, beat us up, and made us look guilty?"

"What do you want us to do?" asked Blossom in exasperation.

Buttercup looked at the clock. "Maybe we won't have to pay anything at all."

* * *

…

It was about four in the afternoon in the Rowdyruff Home. It was snack time.

Boomer looked forward to it. Every four in the afternoon, during Sunday, if they had no other commitments, the boys would eat a light snack consisting mostly of sandwiches, chips, peanuts, and other light foods, with soda and juice. It would be the first Sunday snack where their father, Mojo Jojo, would be joining them.

But it was not Mojo who was in the forefront of the blue ruff's mind. It was his captive, Bubbles. Brick had a clear command. Bubbles should join them. But she still was their captive. So how?

"But they haven't paid the ransom! I can't let her go so she can join us!" Boomer argued.

"That's not my problem!" Brick said. "And who said we should free her?"

Pondering his brother's words, he went to his room, and as he entered…

…

* * *

 _Meanwhile…_

Bubbles was getting bored. She was sitting on the same chair she occupied when she listened to Boomer reading her _Rumplestiltskin._ Of course she already knew of the tale, but it was a delight, none the less. Boomer using her name instead of the Gisella made her blush and put butterflies on her stomach. It was a good thing his eyes was on the book, or he would have noticed. He was so nice to read to her like that! Not every captor would, especially one as "evil" as he claimed to be like Boomer!

But Brick called his little brother, and she was left alone! "Don't go anywhere," he said before he left. As if she could!

How rude! What was she going to do? If he was going to keep her tied up and gagged for real, the least he could do was to pay attention to her all the time. He should pay! But how?

Then an idea came to her. She giggled as she hopped to her feet. She jumped and went with her back on the door. And waited.

She heard footsteps.

The door opened, and there he was!

Bubbles suddenly hopped and flung herself into him. It was so unexpected that Boomer fell backwards, and fell on the ground. Bubbles landed on top of him and she could tell the wind was knocked out of him. She then rolled away, and managed to stand up and hop away.

…

* * *

Boomer was totally surprised. How did she do that?

Even tightly gagged, it was clear she was laughing hard as she hopped away. Well, she wasn't going to get away.

Boomer laughed too as he easily caught her, then said, "you want to laugh?" before tickling Bubbles.

Bubbles laughed uncontrollably at his tickling, falling to the floor, but he stopped after a minute. He then carried her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes to the dining area. There, Brick, Mojo, and Butch were seated, waiting for him.

"What is going on?" their father asked as he stared at what was happening.

"Oh Boom kidnapped Bubbles."

"What? But you're in a truce!" Mojo exclaimed. "Are you becoming openly evil again?"

"No. It's just a game! We're playing! We're expecting her sisters to pay the ransom."

Mojo shrugged. "As long as it's a game," he said as Boomer put Bubbles on an empty chair besides his own. He carefully removed the layers of gag from her mouth, but kept the ropes round her body.

"You shouldn't have left me alone by myself," Bubbles said as soon as she could talk. "It's boring being tied up and gagged all by myself. You should always keep me company if you're gonna insist in tying me up for real!"

Boomer was amazed at the cheek of Bubbles in lecturing him, but given the situation, he let her away with it. After all, she was such a good sport at this sort of game. She already had been tied up and gagged for three hours, so it's no wonder she would get bored.

"I'm sorry, your highness," Boomer apologized in a mocking way, "I didn't realize captives ought to tell their captors what to do."

"They ought to if their captive is a princess," she replied, and all laughed at that.

"What do you want to eat?" Boomer asked.

The others began eating, so Bubbles said, "I'd like one of those sandwiches."

Boomer got a sandwich, and put it in front of her.

She took a bite. And would open her mouth when wanted more. And Boomer would feed her.

"How about some peanuts?" Boomer offered after she was done with the sandwiches.

She nodded as she swallowed the last of the sandwich.

The blond ruff took some peanuts and cracked it open, and fed the nuts to his counterpart.

After that, he got a glass of soda, put a straw in it, and used it to let Bubbles have some drinks.

* * *

 _ **17 (206). Bubbles' Plan**_

…

The phone rang.

"I'll get it!" Brick said, flying to the living room and picking up the phone. "Hello."

"Hello, Brick."

"Pinky?"

"I usually would write, but I'm in a hurry. You have Bubbles?"

"Yes. You have the ransom?"

"I'd love to pay it, and this game is fun and all, but it's late in the afternoon. It would take us about a few more hours to get it, and Bubbles needs to go home by six. Otherwise, the Professor would be mad. So you must release Bubbles at six, ransom or no ransom."

* * *

…

Bubbles wished she could use her powers and activate her superhearing to listen in to the conversation. But with the rope, her powers, except her invulnerability, were dormant, so she can't.

Brick returned and looked at his youngest brother. He was silent for a bit, and there was a look of disappointment in his face.

"Well?" Boomer asked as he fed her another peanut.

"It's too late."

"What do you mean?" asked Butch.

"The Powerpuff Girls needed to be home by six p.m. Or the Professor would be mad. So Bubbles would be free without us getting anything for her."

"Darn!" Boomer said, disappointed. "All that, for nothing!"

Well Bubbles was not taking this lying down! Imagine! Her sisters, refusing to pay for her ransom! What has the world turned into when her sisters can't be relied upon? Well it's a game, but still! They refused to play! Imagine that! Well, she won't them get away with it! Boomer worked so hard, he should get his reward!

She went and hopped towards the phone, with the boys looking at her in astonishment. She stopped by the phone, and said, "could anyone dial the number to my home?"

"Boomer!" Brick commanded.

Boomer went besides her and dialed the phone, and put the receiver against her head.

"Hello?" Blossom answered.

"Blossom! Could I talk to the Professor?"

"Are you alright?"

"I'm a captive. Please, I want to talk with the Professor."

"Okay. DAD!" Blossom shouted, "IT'S BUBBLES!"

* * *

…

"Hello Bubbles!" the Professor said after about a minute.

"Hello Daddy. Listen. I'm here at the boys' home. Could I spend the night here? I promise I'll behave, and I'm sure the boys will be fun!"

"Is Mojo there?"

"Yes."

"I want to talk to him."

"Mojo! The Professor wants to talk with you!"

The creator of the Rowdyruffs walked from the kitchen, grumbling about his meal being interrupted. "Professor? It would be okay. What time is her bedtime? Nine during summer when she has no duty? Noted. She can use my sons' pyjamas. And we have a guess bedroom. Her sisters would bring her clothes? Noted. Don't worry. I'll give her the call."

Mojo put the phone against Bubbles' head.

"Okay, you can. Don't sleep past your bed time, Bubbles."

"I won't, Professor."

"Don't give your hosts, trouble, okay?"

"I won't."

"Remember to brush your teeth and wash your face, okay?"

"I will."

"Take care. Bye. See you tomorrow!"

"Bye, Professor!"

The phone went dead.

The three boys just stared at her. "What are you doing?" asked Brick.

"Just wait for it," she answered.

"Wait for what?" Boomer asked.

The phone rang. "Could you please put the phone on my ear?"

Brick did as asked.

"Bubbles! What is going on?" Blossom asked.

"I'm going to sleep over," she said, "since you refused to save me by paying the ransom."

"What? Don't be silly. Why should we save you?"

"I'm tied up."

"You can easily snap the ropes off!"

"No I can't! Mojo invented a special rope that makes me unable to use my powers, and I'm stuck until you pay the ransom. If you can't give it until tomorrow, then I'm tied up until tomorrow!"

"What? That means you were really tied up all afternoon!"

"Yes."

"You're crazy!"

"No I'm not! Just pay it!"

"Fine. Give the phone to Brick."

"Brick, it's for you."

"Hello. Pinky, it's not my idea, it's Boomer," Brick answered. "No, I didn't put it up with Boomer. As for Bubbles, I didn't put it on her. You will? I'm glad you finally saw the light. Yeah, don't worry, we won't hurt her."

He put the phone down. "They'll pay it. Later at six! But Bubbles, Pinky says you must go home afterwards."

"Thanks, Princess," Boomer beamed.

"You're welcmmmpphhhh!" Bubbles was interrupted when her counterpart shoved a rolled up cloth inside her mouth. He gagged her the same way she was gagged before, ending with a roll of duct tape wrapped around her mouth.

…

* * *

 _ **18 (207). Ransoming the Young Girl**_

"What happened?" Buttercup asked.

Blossom looked at her, then suddenly laughed. Laughed hard. Then laughed some more.

"Are you crazy?" Buttercup demanded.

"I'm sorry, but, but, Bubbles, just outsmarted all of us."

"What?"

"She asked the Professor permission to sleep over. Which he gave. Then she told me that since I haven't paid the ransom, she's still a captive. And she's tied up with rope that takes away her powers until it's paid. And since she would sleep over, she would be tied up all day and all night and all morning, if we took that long to deliver it. So if we wanted to save her from that predicament, we should pay it immediately. So I agreed we should pay this afternoon, since I really don't want her to be tied up that long."

"The boys won't keep her tied up that long!" Buttercup said, astonished, "even if it's only a game!"

"I know it's a bluff. But I realized that only after I said yes!" Blossom said, laughing.

…

* * *

 _Later…_

It was about 5:50 p.m.

Bubbles was at the couch in the living, watching cartoons on the TV, with Boomer sitting on her left, his mind elsewhere. Butch was seated on her right, and had the remote control.

She was so intent on watching the cartoon rabbits and the duck, and laughing at their antics, that she lost track of time.

And the doorbell rang.

And her heart sank. Despite being tied up and mostly gagged all afternoon, she had enjoyed her time, especially with Boomer. It was one of the most fun days she had. Granted, she'd _rather not_ be tied up, though she didn't mind, as they were, after all, playing a hostage and kidnapping game. It was fun pretending to be a damsel-in-distress, and even more fun as it made the game realistic.

And she spent so much time alone with her crush! Granted, she was not able to do much, or to talk, but still! He was so kind and considerate when she was helpless, unlike when she was free. Boomer feeding her was sweet, but telling her stories and even singing for her made her ecstatic. He was paying attention to her! That was something else!

Trouble was, Boomer wouldn't normally do that.

Butch switched off the TV as Brick opened the front door.

Blossom and Buttercup entered, with the latter carrying a bag.

Boomer helped Bubbles stand up, and she jumped forward, with Boomer holding her arm.

"Did you bring it?" asked Brick.

"Yes. If you hurt her, I swear I will—!" Buttercup ranted.

"Give it to me!" the Rowdyruff leader demanded.

"No, give Bubbles to us first!" Blossom insisted.

"No. Give the loot first! Or no exchange!"

"Fine," she said. "Buttercup!"

The green puff tossed the bag to Boomer. "It's here!" Boomer said as she looked inside. Bubbles looked at it's contents and there it was— _The Donkey Cabbages_ book and a bag of her Tea Party cookies. And a letter addressed to Brick.

"Boom, release her!" Brick ordered.

Boomer nodded, and he untied Bubbles, and then removed her gag.

"Oh I knew you won't ever abandon me to these evil evil men!" Bubbles said melodramatically as she walked towards her sisters, then hugged each of them. "Oh it's terrible! It's terrible!" she shouted with an exaggerated "sorrowful" voice.

"Oh you're safe now, little sister!" said Blossom. "We would never ever not consider paying for your ransom because we love you!"

And that was that.

They all broke into laughter.

"I thought you'd be too smart for Bubbles to put one over you, Pinky!" Brick teased.

"Don't underestimate our Bubbles!" Blossom said. "Besides, you never told us you'd really tie her up!"

"Never needed to. If you decided not to pretend you won't pay," Brick said.

"If you hurt her—" Buttercup threatened.

"Or you'll what?" Butch interjected.

"Don't worry. You'll remain invulnerable, even if every other power we have would be suppressed," said Brick. "Bubbles doesn't have any rope marks, see? Bubbles, were you hurt in any way?"

"Nope. It was tight, I can't move or talk, but hurt? No," she admitted. "Aw, Buttercup, don't be a killjoy! It's just a game! It's good fun!"

"We're you really gonna sleepover?" asked Blossom.

"Of course not! It was just to get you pay for it, and play the game!" Bubbles said. "Imagine, me, a helpless girl, by myself, sleeping over with a bunch of evil villainous boys! The horror! You ought to never use the Professor to ruin a game between kids!"

"What? You're the one who asked him if you could sleep over!" Buttercup charged.

"Only after you used him as an excuse not to pay the ransom!" said Bubbles, sticking out her tongue. "I knew you really wouldn't take that long to find it!"

"Let's go home then," said Blossom, playing peacemaker.

"Wait! Why don't you all have some snacks before you leave?" Mojo, who was silent the entire time, invited.

"We would love to!" said Bubbles, "right Blossom?"

"Sure. As long as Bubbles' cookies is part of that!"

"Hey, that's her ransom!" Boomer protested. "It's ours!"

"And I say that's part of the snack!" Mojo said, squelching any argument.

"Speaking of ransoms, when are you going to return the book?" Blossom asked Boomer.

"Within the week," the blond ruff replied as they walked to the kitchen.

* * *

…

After the snack, the girls finally went home, with Bubbles.

…

* * *

 _ **19 (208). My Brother, Right or Wrong**_

 _Later…_

"Lex, don't walk into the trap! Don't!" Butch shouted as he read his latest issue of _Superman_ comics. For such a great genius, Lex Luthor could fall for some of the most basic traps!

He turned the page.

And he was tricked out of his kryptonite weapon. Damn! Superman wins again! Whoopee doo! Sometimes, he wondered why he bothered to read the ending? Perhaps hoping that, for once, they'd change it so that the bad guy would win? But as always, the good guy wins! For him, pretending to be good has not changed his perception. He will always root for the bad guys.

He had always enjoyed doing villainous things, even after the truce with those Powersissies. Earlier that day, he participated in the kidnapping and ransoming of Bubbles, and he enjoyed that game so much! That made him want to kidnap Buttercup, but he knew it was impossible. Bubbles was a willing damsel, and Boomer knew it.

Buttercup, not so much. She'd mistake really being kidnapped with playing a game where she's taken hostage, and ruin all the craftily laid plans for his elder brother.

"Why'd you do that, Lex!" Butch shouted at last page. "I wanted that no good Superman to lose! I hate seeing him win all the time!"

"It's a trick!" Lex Luthor suddenly said, in a low voice.

Butch shook his head. Did Lex just talk to him?

He stared at the comic book, and the figure of Lex turned to him.

 _What? Did the comic book character just move?_

"Superman's day will come!" Lex said.

And he was officially _freaked_ out. The comic book character's lips moved as he spoke.

"You talk and move? Awesome!"

"Yes. You see me speak and talk. And you are?"

"I am the Baron of Berserk, Butch Bryan Jojo!" he proudly proclaimed. "I am the strongest villain there is!"

"Really? Even stronger than me?"

"No offense, but you're just an ordinary human."

"None taken. Still, you're a villain?"

"Yeah! I am part of the greatest villain team, the Rowdyruff Boys!"

"Yes, I know. Boomer and Brick. With Brick, the leader, right?"

"That's right."

"Are you really evil?"

"Well yes. We were created evil, and we never reformed our ways! We're bad to the bone!"

"But you've become superheroes!"

"Oh we're just pretending!"

"Pretending."

"Why?"

"To fool the people. So it would be easier to take over the world when we grow up," said Butch, mouthing the words spoken by his big brother.

"You think that's a good idea?"

"Yes. Why shouldn't it be?"

"But are you really evil if you don't do evil stuff and you kept doing good stuff?"

"Why not?"

"Because I think Brick is leading you stray! He wants you to become good!"

"That's not true!"

"You know it's true. In fact, I believe that you should be the leader of the Rowdyruff Boys."

"Me?"

"Yes."

"Don't you think you could do a better job than your brother?"

"Nah."

"But Brick's not perfect. Admit it. He made so many mistakes."

"Yes, he did make many mistakes."

"Including school. That's the worst thing he could have done. He told you that you would learn without going to school."

"Yes, he did say that. And we did learn without going to school. I'm way smarter now than before."

"Yes, but now, he agreed to go to Pokey Oakes Elementary. Isn't that a big betrayal?"

"Yes."

"Do you think that after all that, he deserves to be leader? Don't you think you, Butch, the Baron of Berserk, should be leader?"

Was Lex trying to instigate a mutiny? How dare he try to take down his big brother!

"Nah. Brick's leader."

"But he betrayed you. He isn't a very good leader."

"Maybe, but I swore an oath. Right or wrong, I'll obey him. No matter what."

"That's blind. Brick's doesn't know everything."

"No, he doesn't know everything. Far from it. But I'll still follow him. He's my leader!"

"Even if he leads you to your death?"

Was the bald mad scientist questioning his loyalty to his big brother? Who does Lex think he was? Well, the Baron of Berserk will show him!

"I'll follow him to my last breathe."

"What if he told you to kill yourself?"

"I'll gladly do so."

"You're foolish."

"Maybe, but I'm loyal to Brick, right or wrong, good or bad, wise or foolish."

"He doesn't care for you."

He stopped. How dare he! Lex maybe the greatest comic book villain ever, but he knew nothing about him and his brothers! Time to educate the fool!

"He does so. But even if he didn't, I'll still follow him. Listen. You don't know what we've been through. We died once. And went to Hell. And without Brick, we would never have survived Hell with HIM after we died. We'd cease to exist. He suffered for us. He took our punishments when we made mistakes. He nearly ceased to exist himself. And it was because of Brick that we were able to survive HIM's training and come back to life. Nothing can take that away. He nearly gave his existence for us. If he requires my life for whatever reason, I'd give it without a doubt!"

"That's in the past!"

"No. I wouldn't be here. And school is nothing, even if I hate it. Brick made us smart. Because of him, we defeated the girls. We got our revenge! We met Teacher Keane, the most wonderful adult in the world. We got rich. And we're going to rule the world, and my brother would be Emperor. And I'm going to be his general. But even if he says that I should only be a janitor shoveling poop, I'll gladly do so. Even if he grew to hate me, I'll still serve him even if he peed on me."

"You are a fool!"

"Better a loyal fool, than a brilliant traitor!"

With that, Lex vanished.

"What's going on?" Butch wondered, looking around his room for the comic book character that mysteriously came to life, and just as inexplicably, disappeared.

…

* * *

"Damn!" HIM bellowed his low voice as soon as he returned to his lair. "I thought trying to turn them against each other would be easy! At least as easy as turning Buttercup against Blossom!"

The evilest of evil was disappointed. It was shocking that the tortures that he inflicted on the boys while they were in Hell would forge a bond so strong nothing could snap it. He remembered allowing Brick to be tortured and beaten up for his brothers if those brothers committed small infractions. Butch would answer a question wrong? Brick would offer himself for punishment. Boomer would lose to his minion, Brick would take the blame.

At that time, it seemed so amusing, so pathetic. Now, he knew, it made Boomer and Butch absolutely loyal to Brick to the death, no matter what. It was ironic. HIM made Brick absolute ruler of his brothers!

Well, his plan to turn the brothers against each other was a failure. He wouldn't bother with Boomer. He was sure the answer would be the same. Turning Boomer against Butch would be a waste, as Brick only need to step in, and they would resume being the best of friends.

Well, there were more ways to skin a cat. Those boys would pay! Nobody betrays the evilest of evil, and gets away with it!

 _End of Chapter 2_

As always, please do me a favor and review if you've read this chapter. Reviews really lighten my day and makes me very happy. Thank you very much for reading!

And thank you to all who followed the story, and who also put it on your favorites list!

* * *

(1) The episode of _Bubble Boy._

* * *

 **Author Notes**

To **RuffnPuffLover,**

 _I loved the "An Education For Power" that your first wrote! I caught up with it quite fast, so I see what's going on here. Looks like HIM aib't happy with how this went that's for sure. I wonder how he's going to attempt to break this peace, and how this will effect the Rowdyruff Boys and Powerpuff Girls. Boy, I'm sure gonna love this story more, keep it up!_

Congratulations on being the first reviewer of this fic!

This chapter shows HIM's first attempt to break the peace. Good thing that Butch had such blind loyalty to his brothers.

* * *

To **Ash141,**

 _Yaay! The sequel! HIM you crafty creature, what are you up to? I really enjoyed this chapter, Bubbles getting along with the Boys, Blossom & Brick's letters, all of it is just so wonderful! Can't wait for the next chapter! Until next time. _

_~Ash141_

This chapter answers your question—at least his first attempt. He would try to drive a wedge between the brothers! Luckily, in the case of Butch, it didn't work. And in this chapter, Bubbles and Boomer get more bonding time!

And again, thank you for reviewing.

* * *

To **GoingQwazy**

 _I just want to see a school scene lol_

Well, it's August in the story, and when September comes…

* * *

To **Hinate,**

 _Reds Forever ..._

 _yay sequel... awesome... reds are getting closer that's awesome... thank you again..._

Yes, they've become closer, especially since the end of the first story. And they'll become closer, but unfortunately, not as fast as the blues.

* * *

To **DPSS,**

 _Alright, sequels up! By the looks of it, Him is the main villain of this one. And Mojo is equiping the boy to be more iffecient. What's next? Instant battle armor? ;-)_

Yes, HIM, as I said, is going to be the main villain. And by the looks of it, his first step was to drive a wedge between the brothers. So far, fortunately, he has not succeeded.

And Mojo is going to help his boys as much as he could. Instant battle armor? That would be awesome! Tough the boys, I think, won't be too appreciative, as it would imply that they were not tough enough.

* * *

To **mokocchii,**

 _Holy snap, I didn't know you'll update so quickly! I'm delightfully surprised at this (as there is a drought of updates of good ppg fics lately I feel). Thank you for restoring my hope!_

 _I find it adorable that Buttercup would join in at tea time. Again, you beautifully execute that their still kids. It's perfect correspondence like the OG series did, balance between work and play._

 _Happy Writing!_

Thank you!

Well, Buttercup does want Bubbles' cookies, and the only way to get it is to play. Well, that's what Buttercup likes her sisters to think. And yes, I want to imagine how they'd act as children, as children they are in the early part of this series.

* * *

To **John,**

 _Nice sequel! Great start!_

Thank you very much, and thank you for reviewing the chapter of my last story too!

* * *

To **dhannah1988,**

 _Yes the sequel is here! Already off to a great start. I can't wait to read more._

 _Also as a fan of your allies and rivals stories I liked the communicator watches that Mojo invented, just like the ones that Dr. Edwards invented. It was a nice homage (I really hope that's the right word) for the fans of those stories._

 _Also just the cuteness with Bubbles and Boomer. I love it!_

Thanks. Yes, the communicator watches were a homage to my earlier stories, as it was too useful a plot device not to include in this set of stories. And yes, Bubbles and Boomer were really adorable!

* * *

To **William F Somebody** ,

 _And the sequel's here!_

 _And it picked off right where the last story ended._

 _HIM is stirring up trouble, I see._

 _And the kids are getting closer. Blossom and Brick continue to write each other. Bubbles continue to deliver their letters, and playing with the boys as a consequence._

 _And it's good to see the games the girls play amount themselves. The tea party is really cute, especially with Buttercup participating._

 _And Mojo Jojo is really determined, it seemed, to give his boys everything that they need to be better than the Powerpuff Girls!_

 _Please Update soon!_

Thank you, William. I'm glad you like the sequel. This story happens a few days after the events of An Education For Power.

And yes, HIM would be the major villain.

Yup, they are becoming closer. Though mostly because they were having fun playing. And Brick and Boomer continue to write letters.

And yes, the tea party with Buttercup was fun to write.


	3. I (V) - Return of the Resurrector

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Powerpuff Girls. It is owned and created by Craig McCraken, and by Cartoon Network.

* * *

 **An Education From HIM**

Peace reigns between the Powerpuff Girls and Rowdyruff Boys. Even as the boys claims that they remain evil, they become close to their counterparts, becoming penpals and playmates to each other. Yet HIM watches, and vows to shatter their peace. Chapter 3. HIM visits all of them, and has a very important proposition. Will they accept? Will they refuse? And what would be consequence?

 **Book I (V)**

 **Preliminary Skirmishes**

* * *

 **Chapter III (XXII)**

 **Return of the Resurrector**

 _Please, please, leave a review. Thank you._

 _ **20 (209). Augustus Caesar**_

 _Meanwhile…_

Brick was in his room, reading one of his books. It was a history book, on Ancient and Classical history, to be exact. He was reading Roman history.

He was reading about the first Emperor of Rome, Augustus Caesar. He was reading how he transformed the Roman Republic into a monarchy and ushered in the Roman Empire, a golden age of peace and prosperity, how he managed to make his people accept being ruled by one man, and how he ensured that he kept a tight control over all of the Western Civilized world after defeating all his rivals for power, how he co-opted his enemies and made them his supporters.

It was after hearing about him that he decided he would model himself after the great ruler.

He was perfect, perfect, perfect!

He would make his countrymen accept autocratic monarchy, and then the world! He would end democracy, eliminate all his rivals, but he would make the people demand his rule. He didn't know how, he didn't know when, but he knew it would happen. After all, Blossom crowned him Emperor! It was perhaps foolish, but that to him was a sign of his future!

He started to scheme. He would, of course, need to take over the City of Townsville first. But he needed to do it in such a way that would neutralize his greatest obstacle—Blossom Utonium. He wanted the city, but he didn't want to fight the girls for it. No, he needed a way to make her accept that Brick Jojo ruling Townsville would be the best course possible. He wanted her to accept him, and to support him. The people, he knew he could sway. But as long as Blossom opposed him, it would be difficult, for her counterpart had even greater sway over the Townies.

Because the Townies deeply loved Blossom and her sisters.

Well, let them love Blossom! He would not even try to compete on that. Let them love her, as long as they follow all of Brick's orders too. He will rule them.

But how to rule Blossom? That was the most vexing question ever. Or if not rule her, make her accept him as the city's boss. And do it without killing her or breaking their truce.

He'll find a way. It will come to him. For now, he would read on his favorite historical figure, and learn how he seized power to make himself the most powerful man in the world.

"I would be another Emperor Augustus!" Brick said, daydreaming of the time when everyone would do as he said.

"I believe you," a voice said. It was a voice of a young man.

"Huh?" Brick said, looking around.

"Over here!"

Brick looked at his book, and there he was! The Picture of the Roman Emperor was speaking. "What? Are you-?"

"Yes. I am Imperator Caesar Augustus!" the picture spoke. Then the most amazing thing happened. He leaped from the book and was now a miniature man, about twelve inches tall. He had had blonde hair, gray eyes, and was wearing a toga.

"Hail Caesar!" Brick could only say, staring at him. "Why, why are you here?"

"To talk to you. A chat from one emperor to another. _Hail Brick_!"

The Rowdyruff leader could only look on in adoration. Never in his entire life could he think that the greatest ruler in Roman, if not world, history would speak to him. Maybe he can give him the key to this dilemma?

"I am listening."

"You will become Emperor of the World! That is your destiny!" said Augustus. "As long as you follow my advice."

"Yes? Yes? Tell me how to do it?"

"First, you must tell everyone to obey you and do as you say!"

"Yes, of course!"

"You must prove that you are worthy to lead! That you and you alone will rule! You will be at the top! Alone!"

"Yes! I will be the sole ruler over all!" Brick replied, delighted. "I would be at the top of the mountain, alone, looking down on everyone!"

"And as sole ruler, you will have no one second-guessing you!"

"Yes! Yes!"

"You need no one! You must get rid of everyone close to you!"

"What do you mean?"

"Don't you see? Attachments are a burden! Get rid of all those who depend you on you! They are parasites!"

"That's right!"

"Let's start at the very heart of it! You must get rid of your brothers! Get rid of Boomer and Butch."

Brick was stunned.

"But…"

"Didn't you agree that it's best if you are alone on the top?"

"Yes, I will be emperor, and only me! But that doesn't mean I'll be alone—literally!"

"But you don't need them! A ruler only needs himself! He who relies on others is weak!"

"But, but I need them!"

"No, you don't! You're Brick! You can do anything by yourself!"

"But I can't! I can't discard them! They're my brothers!"

"They are useless!"

"I can't do without them."

"Then you won't be emperor!"

"I can't become ruler without them by my side."

"Then you're weak!"

"No, I'm not! I am stronger with them! You think I could beat the Powerpuff Girls by myself?"

"No. You'll only dilute your power. Look at me! I am the sole ruler! I don't need anyone to become who I am!"

"What about Agrippa and Livia?" (1)

"What's an Agrippa and Livia?"

Brick looked at him, stunned. Then he smiled. It all made sense now.

"You're not Augustus."

"What do you mean?"

"Agrippa is Augustus' best friend and general. He won the battles for Augustus, as the First Emperor had no ability as a general. Livia is his wife for more than 50 years, until his death, his partner as well as his wife. _You are an imposter_. You do not even know your own wife! I studied history! You didn't. Begone!"

"I am not finished!"

"Yes, you are. And let me give you a lesson. I am going to rule the world, and I am going to raise my brothers with me! They are going to rule the world for me. They are going to be raised with honor. They will have more power than anyone else save me! They will be the number two and the number three men in the world. I will be the first man of the world! Everyone who wants to honor my name will honor that of my brothers, and when I have the power, I will kill those who will insult those of my brothers! Now, imposter, whoever you are, go back to wherever you came from!"

* * *

…

"Damn it!" HIM shouted as he returned to his lair. "When did Brick become so smart? How could he gain so much intelligence in such a short time?"

He still didn't believe it! Even if HIM had watched his children try to become smart all those months. From going to the library to sneaking in the Powerpuff school, to going to Ms. Keane. Sure, even if they were less dumb than they were before, they would still remain dumb, right?

Especially Brick. HIM, during their stay in Hell, made sure that the boys won't get any education beyond what was needed to beat the Powerpuff Girls. It was deliberate! The dumber the boys, the less chance that they would break from his control. And he had thought that his work was enough to make sure they remained stupid. For example, he taught them to despise reading. But that was the first thing to be forgotten. He made them fear school. But that was discarded when it was convenient. He made them think they were smart, so they won't have any motivation to study and improve. But that delusion was easily pierced.

But HIM genuinely thought that no matter how hard they studied, they would improve only a little. After all, they were seven years old.

How smart could a seven-year-old be?

Now, he found out. Brick was _frighteningly_ intelligent. How did HIM miss that in Hell? He soaks up knowledge like a sponge soaks water. He missed that, he realized, because in Hell, he never even let him near water—knowledge—to soak, so he did not even notice his potential. HIM only noticed the dry sponge, the blank slate, the dumb exterior.

That was why HIM didn't bother reading more about Emperor Augustus! He thought that Brick's knowledge of his historical hero was superficial since Brick couldn't have been that smart. And so he only made a superficial research on the topic before pretending to be the Roman ruler.

And Brick easily saw through him!

Damn!

* * *

 _ **21 (210). Villain Visits**_

 _The next day, August 8, 2005, Monday…_

Mojo Jojo sat in a chair in his office, his laboratory, on his volcano top observatory.

 _Office…_

It was merely his office, his place of work.

It was no longer his home. His home was the white house in the middle of the woods, the former house of the villain Fuzzy Lumpkins the pink hillbilly, now the home of the Rowdyruff Boys. He now lived in a house somebody else owned…

Not that he minded. For he was fond of his new home. His room and his home laboratory were more than adequate for his needs. And his observatory could still function as his office.

So in truth, he lost nothing. And gained much, much, more.

He had procured a pardon from the Mayor a few days before. Not a difficult thing to do, with the Mayor under the thumb of his sons. Really, he was amazed at the progress his sons made without him! Not only did they become smart, they also became very sociable. They became politically influential.

He was pouring over the blueprints of his numerous creations. He would take Ms. Keane's advice. He would patent his inventions and rake in the cash. So he had been studying patent law and was thinking about what useful gadgets of his could be useful in everyday life. He had literally countless inventions. The only thing needed were practical uses for it. So what would he do with his death rays, lasers, giant robots? What use would an everyday man and woman have of those? But there were lots of other things he invented—small things that he deemed practical for the use of the common man and woman—that could be sold on the market.

He imagined a future where everyone would use many brilliant his inventions in their homes. Jojo Inc. would be a household word, and the brand would be a staple of every house in the country! And his family would be richer than Bill Gates!

* * *

He was doing that practical work when _it_ happened.

Red smoke appeared, and the entire laboratory took on a reddish-pinkish appearance, and a high-pitched laugh began to be heard.

Mojo stopped what he was doing. He was irritated. _What does that freak want now?_ he thought. He was busy. He'd rather deal with his former colleague in the art of villainy some other time. He was sure that the self-styled evilest of evil would try to entice him with some devious plan to take over the world or to end the Powerpuff Girls! Not that it would tempt him. After all, all the times in the past when he had teamed up with the so-called cruelest of cruel were dismal failures. He had no reason to think that it would be different now. He had a new mission now—eviler, and to his mind, more effective than any of his previous plans.

"Hello, HIM. What do I owe the pleasure of this unexpected visit?" he asked, bored, as soon as the lobster-like red devil with high-heeled boots appeared near the ceiling.

"Hello, Mojo Jojo. What evil are you planning?" he asked as he landed on the floor of the observatory.

"Only the evilest plan imaginable! I'm planning the conquest of the world by my sons, the Rowdyruff Boys!" Mojo proclaimed sincerely. Because what he was doing—becoming rich—was part of his plan to help his sons. After all, the boys needed cash to finance their takeover of the world.

"Your sons? Don't you mean, my sons?" asked HIM with a hint of jealousy in his voice.

"Your sons? No! Didn't you follow the events of the past few weeks? They acknowledged me as their father! Their _only_ father!" he emphasized. "Which meant that they acknowledged no one else as their parent. No one! Only me! Which meant that I am their only one! Not anyone else! And certainly not you!"

"You are wrong! I am their father! No matter what they say!" HIM asserted angrily.

Mojo began to gloat. "Why? Because you brought them back to life? Ha! You're only a doctor, and the doctor who brings dead people back to life doesn't become that dead man's father! Tell me, did Lazarus change fathers because he was brought back to life? I am the one who created them! Nobody can take that away from me! Not you! And not even my sons!"

"You liar! You stole my sons from me!" HIM could only shout.

"I cannot steal what was mine in the first place! And it was you who stole them from me! You told them that I can bring them back to life and I chose not to! Such a vile lie! Such a despicable assertion! You deserve the severest censure for that!" the chimp bitterly charged, pointing his white-gloved finger at the red villain. "You stole their affection from me!"

"I brought them back to life!"

"Which is the only good thing you've ever done in your entire existence, you freak! Though I suppose I must thank you for that. Nobody else could do so. If it were not so, I would not have this second chance with them! So thank you for giving them life after they died. Though resurrecting the boys could not even begin to mitigate for the lie that you told them about my capabilities regarding resurrecting them! Now scram! Those boys are mine, you hear me? That means they're not yours, but mine, Mojo Jojo, the doer of dastardly deeds!"

The Chimp could not help but cackle and laugh evilly. Oh, it was so good to act evil!

"Don't push it! I am going to get them, and I will get my revenge!"

"Oooh! I'm scared! You can't even destroy three teeny weeny little girls!"

"You're the one to talk! As I recall, your success rate in winning against the Powerpuff Girls is zero!"

"Yes, I failed in getting rid of the girls. But I have the boys, and you don't! And right now, that's all that matters!"

"For now! For now!" said HIM. "Enjoy them while you can!"

And the red devil disappeared in a puff of red smoke.

"Good riddance! Who does he think he is, barging in uninvited like he has no manners? Demanding my sons! What nerve! Now, where was I? Oh yes. What invention should I patent?" he said, returning to looking at his blueprints.

…

* * *

HIM was furious as he returned to his lair. How dare that little monkey with an oversized brain defy him? Who does he think he was, talking to the evilest of evil, the cruelest of cruel, like that? And to think that he had once permitted that monkey to share a team with him! Former Beat-Alls member or not, that monkey had no right to speak to HIM like that!

Yet he had to admit that his former colleague had wounded him, and wounded deep. Mojo compared the Rowdyruffs to Larazus! Which meant that HIM was not the father of the boys just because he resurrected them! That was unfair!

He, HIM, was the boys' father! That's the truth! The truth! The truth!

If it wasn't for them, then the boys would be dead, and would easily be destroyed by mere kisses like before! He made the boys stronger! And tougher than before!

And those boys had the temerity to select that monkey over HIM! The greatest of evil! The lord of the underworld! He was not the greatest figure in Hell, but Lucifer himself was too busy tormenting souls in Hell, so HIM could have the freedom to play with Townsville.

Granted, he did inflict horrible suffering on them, but only to make them stronger, to break their haughty spirit and to make them more obedient to himself. And the boys were powerful! They could take a little torture and agony! And the boys were pathetic in losing to the Powerpuff Girls the first time! Kisses! Bah! They deserved to suffer! They deserved to be beaten and to be inflicted pain for the privilege of becoming immune to kisses and to coming back to life a second time!

The boys should be grateful!

So he would give the boys one last chance. He was feeling charitable. He was very favorably disposed towards them after they saw through his tricks the night before. No, they didn't know it was HIM, but they didn't fall for it either. He was so proud of them!

* * *

 _ **22 (211). Ruff Morning**_

It was morning in the Ruff House, about nine. The boys had just finished breakfast, and Brick rolled the lowest number on the die, so he was stuck with dishwashing duty. His brothers were in front of the TV, for once not bothering to go outside and play. Perhaps they had become more considerate and decided to wait for their leader and big brother before having fun?

He was still thinking about the events the night before. It was weird. Really weird. He thought that Augustus had really come back to life! Good thing that he had found out he was an imposter, or he might have wrestled with the idea that the best means of getting his dream was to get rid of his brothers.

 _Such a foolish notion! I wouldn't even last a minute against the Powerpuff Girls alone!_

But that begged the question. Who and what was the imposter? And why had he wanted him to disown his brothers?

Unless something turned up, he had resolved to dismiss the entire thing. After all, what was the use of worrying about something that he had no control over?

He finished with the dishes, and after tidying up in the kitchen, he walked to the living room, where he heard the loud sounds of the cartoons his brothers were watching. _Looney Tunes_ , he could tell, and both his brothers were laughing hard.

"Shhh. Be vewy vewy quiet. I'm hunting wabbits!"

"What's up doc?" he heard. _Ah, Bugs Bunny_.

"I'm gonna get you, you wascally wabbit!" _And Elmer Fudd._

It was one of his favorite cartoons, so he wasted no time and jumped on the couch, sitting next to Boomer. Butch was lying on the carpet.

Unfortunately, they were interrupted. He was watching Bugs getting chased by Elmer round the forest, and the bald inept hunter was about to shoot the rabbit, when it happened.

"Hello, boys!" a high-pitched voice suddenly was heard, and he was creeped out. It was HIM.

"HIM!" Butch shouted, standing up, looking all around for any sign of that devil-like creature.

"HIM!" Boomer whispered as he trembled.

Brick said nothing, as he looked for the source of the voice.

There was nothing.

"Where are you?" he finally shouted.

There was a puff of red smoke, and he appeared, in all his red and black colored lobster-like glory. "Aren't you going to greet your father?"

"Mojo's not here," Butch sneered.

"And such politeness!"

The three boys moved so they were standing by one another, with Brick in the middle, Boomer to his left, and Butch to his right.

"Wait! You're the imposter who pretended to be Augustus!" Brick suddenly shouted.

"And you pretended to be Lex Luthor!" Butch added.

"What are you talking about?" Boomer asked, sounding confused.

"I'll tell you later," said Brick.

"You caught me!" said HIM. "I'm surprised! Such brotherly solidarity!"

"What do you want?" asked Brick. "None of your tricks will work on us!"

"What do I want? I just want what's due to me! I am your father!"

Brick struggled to contain himself. He wanted to lash out at the red lobster in front of him. But he knew he couldn't. He was afraid. So were his brothers. And despite his horrendous experiences which he could never forget nor forgive, HIM did bring them back to life. And thus, he had a little gratitude, and a bit of loyalty left for the monster in front of him. And Ms. Keane drilled in him the need to be polite.

"You are not. We have only one father."

"I brought you back to life."

"For which we thank you. But that doesn't make you our father, any more than a doctor becomes the father of the patient he revived from the dead."

"That is very unfair."

"But it's not. Remember last year's Father's Day? You and Mojo competed to become our father. We made a choice, even if it's a bit late. And we chose Mojo. And it should come as no surprise. Mojo Jojo, our creator, is our real father."

"Now, now, let's not pretend that you've made a final choice. I am here, now. I am giving you the greatest chance! I've been to the depths of Hell the past few days, doing some devil business, ever since your birthday celebration. I just returned to the mortal realm last night. During that time, I've been thinking. I missed the three of you. I want you to return to me, and I promise you, you will rule the world!"

"Just like you promised us that we could easily defeat the Powerpuff Girls?" Brick answered as politely as he could. "Sorry, but we already have a plan to rule the world."

"Are you rejecting me?"

"We are choosing Mojo Jojo as our father," the leader said. "And if that meant rejecting you, then so be it."

"You can't not choose me! I own your souls!"

"Which means nothing until we die!" the leader shot back.

"Is your choice final?"

"Yes."

"Well, it's not. I'll get what I want," HIM said in his high-pitched voice. "You might think that you have a choice in the matter, but you don't!"

With that, there was a puff of red smoke that appeared from nowhere, and HIM disappeared with the smoke as it disappeared.

"Is he, is he gone?" asked Boomer, his fear clearly seen in his shivering body and frightened blue eyes.

"Yes," said Brick, still unsure, but relieved that HIM was not in the living room anymore. "Don't be a scaredy-cat, Boom!"

"What's that about?" asked Butch, confusion evident in his voice.

"Apparently, he wanted us to ditch Pops, and return to him like lost puppies," he said, "and we showed him! We sure showed him!" Brick showed confidence to reassure his brothers, but he himself was uncertain. What was he up to? He was sure he was up to something.

One thing was for certain. He would never willingly go back to HIM.

"So what's that about Augustus and Lex Luthor?" Boomer asked.

…

* * *

 _ **23 (212). Letters To and Fro**_

Brick went back to his room. He was not going to let that freak of nature ruin his day.

He looked at the letter from Pinky, delivered with the rest of the ransom, and reread it.

* * *

 _August 7, 2005_

 _Dear Brick K.C. Jojo, Leader of the RRB, etc…_

 _Yes, I know. You keep telling us that you are evil, you are bad, you are a villain._

 _AND ALL HAIL EMPEROR BRICK!_

 _As for Bubbles' fighting, thank you for agreeing with my request._

 _Speaking of Bubbles…_

 _HOW DARE YOU KIDNAP HER!_

 _I will pay the ransom! Don't harm a hair._

 _By the way, that was really fun. It was Buttercup who had the wonderful idea to try to get out of paying the ransom by saying that it's time for Bubbles to go home. I agreed, but I should've just paid it. It's more fun that way, and it would be in the spirit of the game. But Bubbles outplayed us all! Even the Professor!_

 _I was surprised by what my little sister did! Guess we shouldn't come between her and playing a game. I was so sure that she would jump at the chance to not pay the ransom! But she outplayed us all!_

 _So you have a rope that can disable our powers? Interesting! That should not be a toy and should be guarded well so that it would not fall into the wrong hands. That would be rather inconvenient for both of us, don't you think, if our enemies got a hold of it?_

 _Though it would make kidnapping games more realistic._

 _And I'm surprised that she agreed to be ransomed with her special cookies. She only serves it on special occasions, and by that, I mean our tea party games. It is her way of making Buttercup play with us. And BC just loves the stuff. So she's pretty sore that you would get to eat it by just kidnapping Bubbles, while she had to play, as she called it, "a stupid game for sissies"._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Blossom Catherine Lynn Utonium, Leader of the PPG, etc…_

* * *

The letter made him smile and laugh a bit, and helped lessen his worry of HIM's visit. He took a pen and a piece of paper. Time to put a scare on his counterpart, though he had no intention of carrying out the threat…

* * *

 _August 8, 2005_

 _Dear Blossom C.L. Utonium, leader of the PPG, etc…_

 _I am evil. Was it a surprise that we kidnapped Bubbles? It's a good thing you decided to pay the ransom. Who knows how long we'll keep her if you decided to be stingy._

 _And once more, I had nothing to do with Bubbles' plan. It was all her own. I was as surprised about it as you were. To tell you the truth, we really would've released Bubbles by six. After all, it was just a silly game, and not a real kidnapping…_

 _Yes, that's a special rope, that we would use if we wanted to play normal games with normal kids in the playground. Although I have to admit, it's handy in dealing with you, Powerpuff Girls. Who knows? I might even kidnap you, Ms. Utonium, and tie you up too! I wonder what I can demand as ransom for you? So beware!_

 _As for the cookies, I have only one word for it: DIVINE!_

 _Sincerely,_

 _Brick K.C. Jojo, Leader of the RRB, etc…_

* * *

He was smiling as he put on the envelope. Time for Bubbles to deliver it.

Wait. Bubbles…

Was not there. The letter was delivered by Blossom herself with the ransom, and Bubbles went home with them.

So how can it be delivered?

* * *

 _ **24 (213). Normal Tag**_

 _Meanwhile…_

"Have you finished your letter?" Bubbles asked eagerly as Blossom was reading a book in their room.

"Letter? Yes."

"Let me deliver it."

"I already delivered it," said Blossom. "With your ransom."

Bubbles frowned. "So there's no letter?"

"No. I'm waiting for Brick's reply if you want to know."

"Wait. How will he deliver his letter? I'm not there to take it!"

"Bubbles, they can deliver it on their own, so you don't—"

"I'llgettheletterforyou!" Bubbles suddenly said, an idea forming in her brain. "Bye! Seeyalater"!

"Bubbles—" Blossom tried to reason, but her youngest sister had already flown out through one of the round windows of their home.

* * *

The blonde puff flew happily towards the forest home of her former adversaries. She had another reason to visit! And play! She hoped that Brick hasn't finished his letter yet! She wondered what the boys had in store for her! Since they rarely played the same game two days in the row, she was sure they weren't going to play another kidnap game that day.

She soon spotted the white painted two-story house. And as she came closer, the door opened, and there they were!

Boomer and Butch came out and without Brick. That was a good sign. That meant that there was a chance that Brick was busy with his letter.

"Hello Boys!" she shouted as she landed and waved at the two boys. She looked at them, and they seemed odd. Like something happened. Their eyes were… she searched her mind for what she was seeing. They're _scared_! That's it! Especially her Boomie. Scared like a little kitten. And Butch too was a little bit frightened.

"Princess?" Boomer asked, his voice seemingly normal, but she could detect a hint of nervousness that wasn't there before. "You have a letter for Brick?"

"No. Blossom gave a letter with my ransom," she replied. "I'm here to wait for his reply."

"You're in luck. He's doing it right now," said Butch.

Bubbles frowned. "Well, I'll just have to wait. Say, did anything happen?"

"Happen?" Boomer asked, a little bit violently. "Why would anything happen? Nothing's happened! _Nothing! Nothing_! At least anything that would concern you, Powerpuff Girl! So don't pry! It's nothing!"

Bubbles was a little thrown off by Boomer's tone. Something definitely was happening.

Then his tone softened. "I'm sorry for the tone," he said. "Just a little nightmare. Scared me to bits!"

"Yeah. Nightmare," Butch agreed, and Bubbles could see that it was a lie. But she decided to drop the matter. They would tell her if they were ready, but not a moment before.

"So are you gonna play or something?" she asked eagerly.

"Well, we were gonna fight," Butch began, jumping and flying to the forest, followed by Boomer.

And Bubbles' face fell as she joined them. She would never ever join anything like a fighting game. Fighting each other for fun was not her cup of tea.

"But we decided on another game," Boomer finished as they flew to the Mighty Oak.

They landed on the ground, and Boomer pulled out three short pieces of orange rope from his pocket.

Bubbles heart skipped. They're not going to…

"You're gonna kidnap me!" she exclaimed.

"No, no, not today!" Boomer laughed. "We're gonna do something else. You see, we haven't tried playing like normal kids. We'll be doing it right now. And besides, if we're gonna kidnap you, we'll just grab you without warning."

He took one piece of rope, raised one leg, his right, of his pants, pulled down his socks, and tied it against his right shin, then pulled his socks back up, covering the rope. Butch did the same.

Boomer tossed her the rope.

"Tie it round your bare skin."

Bubbles tied it round her bare elbow since she was wearing her usual short-sleeved blue dress.

And again, she felt her strength and powers leave, as soon as it was tied tight. But she still felt invulnerable.

"Try to fly!" Butch shouted.

Bubbles tried. She jumped as hard as she could. And landed on her face on the ground. She wasn't hurt by the fall.

So now, she felt normal.

"Okay. I'm it!" Butch shouted, and he ran towards Bubbles before Bubbles was even aware the game had started.

"Tag! You're it!" he said, giving her a hard smack on the head.

And she felt no pain on her head.

She noticed both boys running away from her. "Ha, ha! You'll never catch me!" Boomer shouted as he ran farther away.

Bubbles ran after Boomer as fast as she could. And running without her powers was something new. True, she had, at various times in the past, lost her powers, but she never played tag with anyone during those times. And after a few minutes of continuous running, and chasing after him, she was exhausted. She was breathing hard, panting, sweating, even as she was finally able to catch and tag Boomer, who was just as tired as she. And she was only able to catch him because he tripped on a root protruding from the ground.

But it was fun! It wasn't more fun than playing with their powers, but it wasn't less fun either. It was just different. Now, at least, she could relate to their normal friends and classmates, and she could play with them without her trying to hold back and restrain her powers. It would be more fun for her!

She ran back to the Mighty Oak as Boomer chased him. He was panting hard. She could see Butch, who was still relatively fresh compared to the two of them, and she guessed that Boomer would ignore Butch, as Boomer would never catch him in his exhausted state.

Boomer gave chase to her, and she ran, but being exhausted, she let herself be tackled from behind, and both fell to the ground.

And once more, he tickled her.

She laughed even harder than when she had powers as his hands assaulted her ticklish spots on her stomach and armpits.

Soon, both were covered with sweat! All from just running and laughing.

"Ahem!"

Boomer stopped, and she stood up. There was Brick, floating in front of them, a letter in his hand.

Boomer hurriedly removed the rope round his ankle, and she removed the one on her elbow.

She felt all her powers come back and she was back to normal, and her tiredness left her.

"Bubbles!" Brick exclaimed. "Since when did you-?"

"Well, I forgot that Blossom had given you a letter, and you hadn't replied yet. So I'm here to deliver the letter for Blossom when you've finished. Then I ran into your brothers, so I asked what are they gonna play, and they told me they're gonna play normal tag, and I joined them."

"Normal tag?" asked Brick.

"Yes. Oh, that rope is wonderful! Could I borrow it? I want to play with Robyn like a normal kid!" Bubbles exclaimed.

"This is not a toy!" Boomer hypocritically declared.

Bubbles stuck out her tongue before saying, "Like you shouldn't use it to kidnap someone for fun?"

Boomer had no answer to that.

"You have to ask Mojo Jojo. He owns this. As for my letter, I'm finished," Brick said, handing her the letter. "Could you give this to your sister, please?"

"Yes, I will, Emperor," she smiled, doing a quick curtsey, before grabbing the letter. Before she flew back home, she asked, "And maybe you could ask Mojo if we could have some?"

* * *

 _ **25 (214). Sandy Keane**_

"That should do it!" Sandy Keane said as she finalized the plans for the that afternoon's tutoring session with the Rowdyruff Boys.

The phone rang. It was Brick.

"Hello, Teacher. Sorry for bothering you, but is the quiz still on?"

"Yes. I hope you're prepared."

"Me? Yes. And my brothers too."

"And don't forget your homework."

"Don't worry. It's done."

"I know. Take care, and see you later!"

"Bye."

And she put down the phone.

* * *

The past few weeks had been extremely happy for the Teacher. Every hope of hers had been realized.

She reminisced on the events that began when the Rowdyruff Boys had approached that night with an offer to teach them. She at first refused, citing financial difficulties, but when Brick, using his powers, had turned a lump of coal into a perfect diamond, and offered to pay her daily with diamonds, she accepted.

It had been quite a ride. She was a teacher first, so her tutoring sessions, held in her basement, resembled a miniature classroom. And did she had her work cut out for her! Not that the boys were hard to teach—on the contrary, they absorbed whatever she thought them, and accepted whatever she said, with wild enthusiasm, and they learned fast. But they knew very little at the beginning. They truly were ignorant of many basic things like what's a family name, taking a bath, or how to spell basic words.

She sometimes felt, and acted more like a parent who would teach basic things to her child than a teacher!

They absorbed knowledge like a sponge. They had discovered talents and skills they never knew they had. Pretty soon, they were approaching the intelligence of the Powerpuff Girls. Now, they were as smart as their counterparts, being able to devise strategies and tactics to beat the girls.

But the knowledge and intelligence were not the most surprising thing to happen. It was the fact that she and the boys grew close during the months that they had been together. The boys had wormed their way into her heart, and she came to love them as family, as the sons she never had. And they grew to love her in turn. In fact, it was the mutual affection that saved the Powerpuff Girls, one time, from jail. Perhaps what they really needed was some family love?

Everything was coming along nicely. She wanted to reconcile the Rowdyruffs and Mojo Jojo, their father, and she succeeded, making Mojo good in the process. She wanted the boys to become good, even as the boys had forbidden her to tell them to be good. Except in their self-description, she had succeeded. No matter how much the boys still claimed to be evil, their actions spoke louder than words.

Perhaps the most difficult goal, and the one that was not yet fully realized, was her goal to reconcile the Rowdyruff Boys and the Powerpuff Girls. She deeply loved both sets of superheroes, for different reasons. There was progress on that front—they were now in a permanent truce—even if they claimed to dislike the other, Butch and Buttercup especially. Boomer and Bubbles, she observed, had become playmates, while Brick and Blossom, penpals.

Penpals and playmates!

That was from the same boys who loudly told anyone that their counterparts were still their enemies!

They were now in agreement—they even had it in writing!

Yet, to Ms. Keane, that was not enough. She needed to make them close friends. To make them admit that they liked each other. And to her, the best way was to make them one team. The boys and girls, even as they fought on the same side, strictly avoided each other during their duties to the city. They never cooperated, and all the heroics were done separately. There was not a single instance where the boys and the girls fought together against a common enemy.

It was not conducive to friendship.

So as soon as possible, she would broach the subject—though it would be difficult. How to convince them—especially Brick and Blossom, that merging their teams would be in their best interests?

Her plotting was interrupted by a voice.

* * *

 _ **26 (215). The Teacher and HIM**_

"Hello, Sandy Keane!" a high-pitched voice suddenly was heard, and she immediately recognized it as belonging to the monster known only as HIM.

"HIM!" she called out, standing from her chair. She was not unafraid, but she showed a brave front.

"Sandy, Sandy, Sandy! Long time no see," he greeted with mock affability. "Don't you miss me?"

"I've been busy," she said as politely as she could, as he fully materialized and put his arms around her shoulder, making her shudder. HIM was easily the creepiest villain she had encountered. Thank God she had the Powerpuff Girls, and now, the Rowdyruff Boys too, to protect her. Not that she couldn't defend herself, but it was comforting thought having them around.

"Yes. Making goody-two-shoes of my sons," he said. "And making them smart too. And I must say, you did a good job! Congratulations!"

"Thank you. They are one of my proudest accomplishments."

"So you say. And I agree, they are the pinnacle of your career. I don't think anything could ever equal to what you've done with them."

"Perhaps. But I'm sure there would be new worlds to conquer for a humble teacher like me."

"I'm sure my boys would give you those worlds as they grew up," he said. "Though I have to admit, even if I liked what you did with their brains, I am displeased that you made them choose Mojo Jojo as their father, over me!"

"I did not make them do anything," she asserted. "They chose Mojo Jojo on their own free will."

"And I suppose you did encourage their so-called free will?"

She smirked. She was really proud of reuniting the father and sons. It was as it should be. "Perhaps. But it's their choice in the end. Plus it's only natural. Mojo's their father!"

"I am their father too!"

"No, you're not. You merely brought them back to life. As I was saying, you cannot change who your real father is. You're like a doctor who revived a dead person. It doesn't make you a father."

"You insolent woman!" he said, his voice becoming low and frightening. Though he scared Ms. Keane even further, she kept a brave exterior.

"I only did what was right."

He struggled to contain himself, but eventually, he was able to make his voice it's normal high pitch. "But I am giving you a second chance. Tell the boys to leave Mojo and go back to me, and I will forgive you."

How dare HIM suggest that she break up such a close and happy family?

"I will do no such thing!" she said indignantly. "I have done nothing wrong for any forgiveness."

"Oh, I'm so glad you said no," he said, laughing. "Is that your final answer? I want the boys, and you better help me!"

"Yes. I won't betray them for any reason!"

His voice became lower as he began to laugh maniacally. "Then you will pay! Just like those boys will pay! And the Powerpuff Girls too!"

He waved his lobster-like hands, and a circle suddenly appeared below Ms. Keane.

And she fell into the black hole created, screaming as she did so, as she looked up and saw a hole in a wall of black, the hole becoming smaller and smaller, seeing a laughing HIM on it and hearing nothing but the cruel laughter of the monster only known as HIM, in his low, harsh, sinister voice.

…

* * *

He looked, complacently, at the figure disappear into the black void. When she was gone, he waved his hand again, and the circle disappeared.

HIM felt a deep satisfaction. It was Sandy Keane who was responsible for it all! It was she who wrecked HIM's hope. If she didn't agree to be their teacher, the boys would be as dumb as HIM intended them to be. They would still not be able to spell the word 'dumb'. And without her, the boys would never ever have been reconciled with Mojo Jojo.

"That's what happens if you mess with me! See you later," he said, laughing loud as red smoke filled the room. When the smoke cleared, he was gone. "Rowdyruff Boys, you will come back to me whether you like or not!"

End of chapter 3

As always, please do me a favor and review if you've read this chapter. Reviews really lighten my day and makes me very happy. Thank you very much for reading!

* * *

 **Author Notes**

(1) Augustus (63 BC-AD 14) was the first Roman Emperor (27 BC-AD14), and ended a century of civil wars and established peace and peace prosperity throughout the known civilized world of his time. He essentially, 'ruled the world', with the exception of the Parthians. He was instrumental in replacing the Roman Republic with the Roman Empire.

For purposes of this story, he did not do it alone. Among many friends, he had Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, his best friend and a talented general, which was important since Augustus had no military talent himself, and Augustus' wife of more than fifty years, Livia, who was a tremendous helpmate in his struggle to control the Roman world.

* * *

To **Ash141,**

 _Loved this chapter! Bubbles is crazy but clever. Oh HIM, you should know better than to try to turn Butch against Brick, it could never happen! Honestly when I saw the title Capture Bubbles I thought HIM was the one doing the capturing, I was like crap no run Bubbles, then I read it & I was like okay Boomer kidnapped her that's fine. I love Brick but he should understand that Blossom is just being a protective older sister by worrying about Bubbles just like Blossom needs to understand that they are boys & it's in their nature to horseplay. You go Butch you tell "Lex" what for! Poor Boys though, especially Brick having to go through all that. Will the Girls ever learn of this? Like the Girls could stumble upon some of HIM's "home movies" & see exactly what the Boys went through, Bubbles would probably be horrified, BC would have a new found respect for the Boys as well as being filled with rage, & Blossom would be utterly heartbroken at the sight. Anyway, can't wait for the next chapter! Until next time._

Yes, Bubbles is one crazy girl! But very lovable and sweet at the same time.

And yeah, HIM doesn't know the boys all that well, despite spending a lot of time with them while they were dead. And at this point, yes, Butch turning against Brick would never time.

And Brick and Blossom don't fully understand each other, as he thinks Blossom was being a killjoy, and Blossom thinks he is leading Bubbles to violence.

Will the girls learn? Perhaps, but it would be a spoiler if I told you. And I imagine that their reactions would be as you described. Though the boys would not want to tell the girls. It would kill their pride and their self-image if they were made to look like helpless victims to the girls.

* * *

To **DPSS,**

 _Oh Him, you foolish lobsterman. Counterparts or not, you can't just use the same tactics you used on the Powerpuffs on the boys. They are different people after all. Try something more original._  
 _Ah, but the armour isn't to make the boys tougher, though that would be a nice side effect. It's to ensure they don't need to waste money buying new clothes everytime the boys go into battle. Think of it less as armour and more as indestructible uniforms. Plus, they can come with a camouflage or invisibility mode if the boys need to be stealthy._

Yeah. HIM doesn't know the boys too well, as this chapter plainly showed. And good thing. Imagine what damage HIM could do if he fully knew them? And that is a cool concept. Indestructible uniforms! I'll keep that in mind for the future. And not only for the boys, but for the girls too, especially as they would grow up.

* * *

To **John,**

 _What a great chapter. Thank you!_

Thank you.

* * *

To **William F Somebody,**

 _What a fun game Bubbles and the boys played. I was so glad that Bubbles decided to play with the game, and not spoil it by going along with Buttercup's idea. And it seems that the boys had found new uses for the rope Mojo invented other than trying to become normal during class and in playing with their classmates._

 _And what is HIM up to? Why would he think it was a good idea to make Butch turn against Brick? Butch is not Buttercup. They might be counterparts but that does not make him a clone of the green puff. And he should have known that the boys were absolutely loyal to each other, and that Butch had no aspirations to take away the leadership from Brick._

 _Hopefully, HIM will learn and will take his cue from Butch's reaction. But I am afraid that he will just try again and again, and fail, until he becomes lucky._

Yes, the boys and girls keep finding ways to have fun. Even when they decide to play a game of kidnapping. Looks like Mojo should've just introduced the rope when they needed too. Now, it's just another toy for the kids.

And yeah, that was foolish of HIM to do that. Just because it worked on Buttercup does not mean it would work on Butch, counterpart or not. And he was pretty clueless on the boys' loyalty to each other, as this chapter clearly shows.

* * *

 _To_ **Juniper JDK,**

 _I think we can all agree that Tonifranz is single-handedly curing the plague that is the recent story section of the Powerpuff Fandom._  
 _Seriously, we're at a point where people are now shipping Blossom with Mojo Jojo. In case you haven't registered that in your mind properly, let me re-emphasize, people are SHIPPING a superpowered superhero girl with a mutated evil monkey. Let that seep into your mind for a bit..._

 _This is a pretty good start for a sequel since while I was reading An Education for Power, I would sometimes question where that little devil was, since the Ruffs are technically formed from HIM's blood..._

 _Since the genre of this story is dubbed as Family/Friendship, I'm guessing that means this is going to focus more on how the boys and girls get along with each-other, and face different life situations, and we'll get to see HIM have some dedicated segments as well... I LOVE IT... (I am a huge sucker for fluff, especially originating from Hurt/Comfort kinds of scenarios.)_

 _A lot of people criticize the Puffs/Ruffs oddly unfitting intellectual level at their age, and here's my take on it. While I do agree that it's odd reading how smart the kids are, especially Brick and Blossom, I still think Blossom was always as smart as she is in this tale, but it's just acknowledged WAY less in other stories as well as the original series, than it is here. As for Brick, it was also acknowledged that he wanted to catch up to and level, and quite possibly beat Blossom's intellectual level, and his enhanced...brain-power..? His enhanced learning skills helped him along the way...?_  
 _While I still do find it unsettling that I'm essentially seeing two 7-year-olds communicate more intelligently than I've seen people in their mid-20's speak, well... superhuman's are smart... Hehe :P_

 _ANYWAYS. Enough of my redundant blabbering, that was my take on this sequel. Overall, I give it a solid 9/10! Good job, Tonifranz. Good...fucking...job... :)_

 _P.S. I am AuroruaX7 under a new account, not that anybody cares..._

You're AuroruaX7? I didn't realize it until I read the end of the message…

Thank you for review, Juniper JDK! And yes, this tale would resolve the issue of HIM and the Rowdyruff Boys, since the boys becoming integrated into society would face lots of issues—like Mojo and HIM. Mojo I already addressed, so now, it's HIM. And since HIM would be much more difficult to resolve, it merited it's own story.

Yeah, since it would focus a lot on how the relationship between the boys and girls, and HIM would be much more involved.

And as for their intellectual level, my theory is further revealed in this chapter. I always thought that Brick, being Blossom's counterpart, should be as smart as Blossom. Obviously, in the show, he was not. So I needed to have an explanation why, and also a way for him to become as smart as her. My solution is that, since he isn't as smart as Blossom, but he would be able to learn faster than her, to balance it out. So Blossom would have the advantage in initial knowledge, which means knowledge at creation. But Brick would have the advantage in learning rate, which is the speed at which he can learn, as long as he is trying to learn, until they even out and have the same intellectual level.

And yes, in the show, Blossom is shown to be able to communicate, some of the times, like a 20 year old, and even talk better. And if Brick became as smart as her, I also made him talk like her.

Thank you once more! You're review really made my day!


	4. I (V) - The Missing Teacher

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Powerpuff Girls. It is owned and created by Craig McCraken, and by Cartoon Network.

 **An Education From HIM**

Peace reigns between the Powerpuff Girls and Rowdyruff Boys. Even as the boys claims that they remain evil, they become close to their counterparts, becoming penpals and playmates to each other. Yet HIM watches, and vows to shatter their peace. Chapter 4. Where is Sandy Keane? The boys search for their teacher as she disappears. The girls were having fun as the boys make a visit.

 **Book I (V)**

 **Preliminary Skirmishes**

* * *

 **Chapter IV (XXIII)**

 **The Missing Teacher**

 _Please, please, leave a review. Thank you._

 _ **27 (216). Teacher, We're Here**_

 _Meanwhile…_

"Have you two done your homework?" asked Brick after he put the phone down.

It was 3:00 pm and they were preparing to go to Ms. Keane for their tutoring class.

"Yes," Boomer said.

"Of course!" Butch said.

"C'mon! Let me see!" he said.

Both brothers gave him their papers. It was English, and the eldest ruff inspected it.

"Boom, you'll pass."

"Yahoo!" Boomer yelled. It had become a tradition for Brick to check his brothers' homework before they go to school. Experience had shown them that Brick was unerring in his assessment of his brothers' grades.

"As for you, Butch," Brick said, looking at the paper, and comparing it with his own work, "you'll pass, and you'll get a higher grade than your brother. But don't be too cocky. It's still not close to my score!"

Butch stuck his tongue out at Boomer.

"Well, we've done Math, science, and history. Let's go!" Brick said.

Boomer and Butch nodded, and all three flew from their house towards the home of Ms. Keane located at the very edge of Townsville suburbs.

* * *

…

Brick rang the doorbell.

 _*DING DONG*_

They expected Ms. Keane to open the door.

Any minute now.

And they waited.

And she did not open the door.

"What's taking her so long?" Butch asked impatiently.

"Look at the time. It's 3:20. 3:30 is the start," Brick replied, looking at his communicator watch.

"But Ms. Keane usually opens her door way before that, if we're early. One time, she even gave us cookies for being so punctual!" Boomer added.

"Yes. Usually. But not all the time," the leader snapped. "Let's wait."

But three-thirty went and came, and nothing happened. They repeatedly rang the door-bell, but there was no answer.

"Teacher, we're here!" Butch yelled.

"She's not here," Boomer said.

"How do you know that?" asked Butch.

"I turned on my x-ray, and she's not home."

Brick glared Boomer. "That's invading her privacy."

"It's better than standing here all day looking stupid!"

Brick agreed, but he couldn't possibly condone spying on their beloved teacher. "Yes, but next time, ask me first."

"Okay, my leader," Boomer said, "but what should we do?"

"I don't know," said Brick. "It isn't like Ms. Keane to just absent herself from class without telling us first. Let's go to Pops. Maybe he knows what's going on. After all, Pops teaches us too at her class, you know."

Butch rolled his eyes. "Yes, Pops teaches us Math and Science during the tutoring class! You don't have to tell us what we already know."

"Right. Let's wait a little more and see if she'll come home," Brick decided, looking at his watch. It was 3:45 p.m.

"This is boring!" Boomer said as he sat on a chair on the porch.

Butch took out a pack of cards from his pocket. "Who wants to play a game?"

His two brothers agreed to pass the time by playing cards, occasionally pressing the doorbell. Unfortunately, there was no answer.

* * *

Later…

"It's half past four," said Brick, "and I don't think we'll have class today!"

"Yeah! No classes!" Boomer yelled, jumping in joy.

"Alright! No classes!" Butch agreed.

Brick frowned. Unlike normal kids or his brothers, he never wanted to miss a day of school. Or Blossom might become way smarter than him! He needed to keep his brain sharp. And mere reading wasn't enough. He needed the daily guidance of his beloved Ms. Keane.

But what can he do without Teacher?

And where was she? It was probably a family emergency.

* * *

 _ **28 (217). Why Go to School?**_

"Let's go to Mojo," Brick said.

Both brothers nodded.

"Brick," Butch asked, his voice calm, and his green eyes curious, "before we leave, I want to ask you something."

"Go on. Ask away."

"Why did you agree to go to school? You know we hated it. Still hate it," the green ruff said. "You promised us before you won't force us to go to school. We have Ms. Keane as Teacher."

Brick gazed at the dark green eyes of his middle brother. It held disappointment, although the loyalty and obedience in it never wavered.

"Mojo advised it."

"And we don't obey every word of Pops, not like how Boomer and I follow every order you make," Butch replied. "We will only follow him if his orders are sensible, don't you remember?"

"It's a long explanation," Brick said.

"We've got time," said Butch, adamant to be given a justification. "I'm not going to defy you. I'm going to school because you ordered it, but I want to know why."

"First of all, it was a demand of Pinky. It was non-negotiable, as you know. Blossom insisted. There would be no agreement with the girls without it," Brick began.

"But so what? Is an agreement with those girls really worth our freedom?"

"Yes! Look at the last time! After we saved their butts from jail!" Brick argued. "The entire town thinks we're heroes! We never did anything wrong! So what do the girls do? They spied on us, and caught us plotting with Mojo! And nearly beat us! God knows what they would've done with us if they did beat us!"

"We can beat them again!" Butch argued.

"For crying out loud, you were taken out first! We need this peace, Butch! We need the agreement! For if we remained on their hit list, sooner or later, our luck would have run out, and they would've beaten us! And where would our plans for ruling the world go? We needed their acquiescence!

"And yeah, I had no choice. But thinking about it, it wasn't so bad. Bubbles said that our tutoring class was like a regular class, and if you remember the time when we were sneaking around Pokey Oakes roof, listening to Ms. Keane, she conducted her regular class the same way as our tutoring class. And Mojo's right. We need to have followers and a party. For that, we need to start small. And the best way to start is with our classmates."

"I guess so," Butch said, conceding.

"But you know all of this. Why ask me again?" Brick asked.

Butch looked ashamed but only said, "well, no reason. Just got curious."

Brick suspected that there was more to it than meets the eye, but dismissed it. There was no chance that Butch would become rebellious, but he preferred it if his brothers would follow his orders with enthusiasm.

"So why do we need to be tutored," Boomer asked, finally speaking, "if we're gonna go to school? I mean we're already going to learn in school, so wouldn't it be a waste of time to be tutored?"

Brick looked at his blond brother and said, "So we could have an advantage over the girls. The girls will only be taught at school! So we need Ms. Keane's personal attention to be able to stay ahead."

Left unspoken was the real reason, as Brick knew it. The boys did not want to part from their beloved teacher for any reason. So to continue being tutored was a convenient excuse to spend some time with her.

* * *

 _ **29 (218). Where is Ms. Keane?**_

"Any other question?" Brick asked.

When both his brothers said nothing, the leader said, "Let's go to Mojo."

The three boys flew to the volcano top observatory, entering through the opening in the roof. They saw Mojo pouring over some blueprints.

"I wonder how much money this will bring? Would the government pay what I am asking for my giant laser? Still, I need to design it so that it would be capable of being mass-produced for the army," he mumbled to himself.

"Hello, Pops!" Brick greeted as they landed on the floor.

"Gah!" the startled genius shouted as he turned. He looked at the three boys. "You should knock and use the door! You are giving me, the single solitary doer of dastardly deeds, the purveyor of pestilence and deliverer of lawlessness and menace to mankind, a heart attack!"

"What are you doing?" Boomer asked, curious.

"If you want to know, and I am very glad to know that you want to know, since it is very nice and very commendable that sons be interested in the work of their fathers. And since I am your father, your sire, your creator, it is but natural that you would be interested in my work, and so, to answer your questions, yes, I will tell you what I am working on."

"Go on," Boomer encouraged.

The monkey continued without breaking his stride.

"As you all know, I am becoming good. Well, pretending to be good, but you get the idea. Now, I need income. So I need to have work. But what work am I good at doing? Why inventing! So I need to invent, and to sell. But wait! I do not need to invent anything new! That is because I already had invented lots of things. Like your watches—by the way, it's nice seeing you wear those things—and the antirope. And robots and lasers and all sorts of technologically advanced things. But none of them are patented."

"What's a patent?" asked Butch.

And Mojo went on to explain the concept of a patent.

* * *

…

Later…

"So you see, my boys, once I have patented some of my useful inventions, every time someone buys it, I would have a cut in the revenues! Imagine the money that I would be able to rake in! I would be filthy rich! Filthy, filthy rich! And you would have the money needed to achieve global domination."

"That's nice," Brick said as politely as he could, "but we'd like to know if you have any idea where Ms. Keane is?"

"Ms. Keane? Isn't she suppose to be tutoring you at this time? Wait, are you, my sons, playing hooky? Don't you know that you shouldn't be playing hooky? When it is time for you to be at school, or in your case, being tutored, you must be at school or at the tutoring place. You must stop the desire to have needless fun at the expense of your education! Or you might suffer for it! That is why we have truant police to keep punks like you from playing Hooky! If only that idiot Jack Wednesday were stronger I'd send him to make you go to your tutoring class! Why are you playing hooky? You better have a good explanation, or I will send Jack Wednesday!"

"Who's Jack Wednesday?" Butch asked.

"Truant Officer," said Brick, the only one who had experience with Wednesday. "And we're not playing hooky."

"You're not?" asked Mojo, the outrage leaving him.

"Yes. We went to her house, but she wasn't home. We waited, but she didn't answer. So Boom here used his x-ray vision, and saw nothing."

"So perhaps, since you're teaching with her, she told you something that we don't know?" Butch finished.

"That is peculiar," said Mojo Jojo. "To answer your query, I would have to say that no, she did not make any communication to me regarding her intentions for this day. That is to say, she did not tell me what she's planning on doing. Hm, what time did you say you were there?"

"We left at about 5:00 p.m.," answered Butch.

* * *

 _ **30 (219). Calling Ms. Keane**_

"So let's see. It's 5:30. I'll call. Maybe she's at home. First, let's check her landline!"

Mojo went to his telephone and dialed Ms. Keane's number. After a few minutes, it was evident that no one was answering.

"Either no one's home, or the phone's malfunctioning in such a way that it could be heard by callers, but not by the recipients of the call, which is quite an unusual technical problem, but due to it being unusual, I would deem it more likely that she's out. So now that we cannot call the landline, which is connected by wire, I will call her on her cellular phone, which is mobile, and connected by air, and which is small enough, and so, most likely, she's carrying it. And since she's carrying it, she would answer it, and answer it she will, unless her phone is dead. And I'm sure she will not leave her home without charging her mobile cellular phone."

He dialed Ms. Keane's number.

…

* * *

"Well?" asked Brick.

"It seems that her phone cannot be reached. So her phone is most probably dead, or she's in a place without any signal, which is impossible, as every place in this State of ours is covered with towers that give signals to cellular phones," Mojo Jojo ranted.

"Well, what should we do?" asked Boomer, worry evident in his voice.

"I suggest that you go to someone who knows Ms. Keane. Perhaps she's visiting? Now, who could be close to Ms. Keane? The only one I could think of is the Professor and the Powerpuff Girls. Yes, if someone knows where your teacher is, it's those accursed Powerpuff Girls."

"Well, we better go then," said Brick.

"Oh and Pops? I need to ask something," said Boomer before they left.

"What is it?"

"Um, you see, Bubbles wanted to ask you if she could have part of the orange rope?"

"The antirope, you mean? How did she know about it?"

So the boys told the story of their games with Bubbles.

"So Powerpuff Bubbles was not pretending to be helpless during that time?" Mojo asked.

"No, Pops," said Boomer. "She really was helpless, and she knew it too."

"Oh, what am I going to do with you three? I'll tell the truth! That rope was supposed to be a secret weapon against the Powerpuff Girls when it's time to take over the world! You would use it to disable them, and keep them captive if you don't want to kill them or if you needed them alive!" he ranted. "It was to be a surprise! Not, not a toy! Which you made it to be! In the meantime, I wanted you to use it to be able to have normal games with normal children, but you should have kept it a secret! Particularly from the Powerpuff Girls. Now they could have a chance to prepare if they are so inclined. Pray that they won't. But what is more worrying is what if your future opponents, the other villains, whom you will fight if you are to take and keep the affection of the people, find out? What if Sedusa or the Gang Green Gang get their hands on it? You'd be helpless!"

"We're sorry," said the boys, ashamed.

"Don't be. I forgot to warn you. Anyway, tell Bubbles that she can't have it. To give them the ropes would be to provide them with a weapon against you. But you can use it in your games, but make sure you always take it back after you've finished. After all, they already know about it. And yes, I give permission for you to use it to play with the girls and with other kids. But you must not tell anyone about its properties. And make the girls swear to keep it a secret from anyone else! I'm sure they will want to keep it a secret, as they have even more enemies than I could count, who would love to have that rope in their hands! Antidote X was bad enough!"

* * *

 _ **31 (220). The Powerpuff Tea Party**_

 _Meanwhile…_

"Have you written your reply?" asked Bubbles that afternoon. She had been drawing with her crayons, and only remembered the letter during the late afternoon.

Blossom, who had been reading a book, turned her head and looked at her eager sister. "Not yet. In fact, I haven't even read it yet!"

"Ooh, I know! You could read it to us! Wouldn't that be fun?" Bubbles suggested eagerly.

"I don't think that a good—" Blossom began, but was cut off by Bubbles' enthusiasm.

"And we could listen to it during the tea party! We haven't had a tea party today, right? I'll set it up!" Bubbles said before Blossom could get any word in. The blonde ran, and the pink puff heard the joy and the laughter shout, "Buttercup! There's gonna be a tea party! We're gonna read Blossom's letter!"

"That's fun!" Buttercup shouted back, though Blossom could not tell whether or not she was sarcastic. "Cookies, and I get to hear a love letter! Oh, joy!"

Bubbles quickly arranged the seats as before—six chairs arranged around the plastic circle table that was quickly swept clean of the paper and crayons and books that had been there. When she put her mind to something, Bubbles was incredibly efficient.

Another fifteen seconds, and the special cookies, the teapot with milk, and six plates with teacups with handles on saucers were all set up on the plastic table.

A second later, Buttercup arrived, carrying her action figure—Mange, though this time, not wrapped in her green blankie.

How could Blossom say no? She might as well play along—since she would be the one who would read the letter, she wouldn't read anything too sensitive.

So she went and got her doll Suzie, and carefully arranged her on an empty chair, and sat her on it. As before, Bubbles got Octi. She put her stuffed octopus in a chair beside Blossom, and she sat on a chair beside it. Buttercup arranged Mange and sat.

"Who's turn is it?" Buttercup asked.

Both Blossom and Bubbles looked at their middle sibling.

"Oh, how could I forget?" Buttercup said in a droll tone, as she got the teapot.

"Ms. Blossom, Tea?"

"Yes please, Ms. Buttercup."

She then poured milk into her cup.

"How about you, Ms. Suzie? What's that? You'd love to?"

She then "poured" milk on the doll's cup, which meant that she only pretended to pour it.

"Ms. Bubbles, Tea?"

"Yes please, Ms. Buttercup."

After the pouring, and after they started munching on the cookies, Bubbles went to the meat of the matter. "So, are you gonna read the letter, Ms. Blossom?"

Blossom was tempted to blow her off, but she played along, "Of course, my dear sister." She got the letter from the pocket of her dress and opened it.

She quickly skimmed it to see if there were any parts that she should leave out—satisfied that all was fit for her sisters' ears, she read the entirety of Brick's letter.

If Blossom thought that the letter was not going to be a source of teasing, she was sorely disappointed. Her sisters quickly dropped all act.

"Ooh! Brick said he's gonna kidnap you!" Bubbles cooed. "That means he likes you!"

"That is the most backward logic I have ever heard!" Blossom declared. "You don't threaten someone you like! Boomer kidnapped you, so does that mean he likes you?"

Blossom immediately regretted the question, as she already could guess what would Bubbles' answer be.

Bubbles giggled, before saying, "Well Boomer kept saying that he doesn't like me, that we're enemies, that he is evil. But I don't think he means what he says when he says that. His actions speak louder than words. And you know what? Boomer treated me very well when I was his captive, even tied up, and I'm sure Brick will too. I wonder what he'll ask for in ransom? Don't worry. When he does take you, we'll do our best to pay your ransom! Right Buttercup?"

"I don't know. It might be a good change to leave Blossom unable to talk," Buttercup added. "Think of the peace!"

"Buttercup!" Blossom huffed before all three girls laughed.

* * *

 _ **32 (221). Rowdyruff Visit**_

 _*DING DONG*_

Luckily for Blossom, the doorbell rang. "I'll get it!" Bubbles said, and she rushed to the first floor and opened the door, where to her delight, it was the Rowdyruff Boys. _Wait. Why were they feeling so glum and tired?_ And what were they doing here in the first place? Oh, it doesn't matter! They came to visit! That made the blue puff very happy! After all, it was tiring that only she would come and visit them—and only in the guise of being a mail girl!

Oh, what fun they were going to have!

"Hello, boys! Boomer, Brick, Butch, come in, come in!"

"Who is it?" the Professor shouted from his laboratory.

"It's only the Rowdyruff Boys!" Bubbles yelled, trying to avoid him coming upstairs. "We'll take care of them!"

"Thank you."

"Why don't you come in?" she asked.

"We'd love to, but we can't, I'm sorry," Brick replied, "we just need to know something."

She was disappointed. They weren't here to visit and play! But she's going to try anyway.

"But you look hungry. We're having a snack. Care to join us?"

At that moment, all their stomachs growled. "I guess the answer to that is yes?" she asked hopefully, giggling.

"Come on, Brick, I'm hungry!" Boomer whined.

"I got my special cookies!" Bubbles baited.

"Oh why not, but only for a little while," said Brick, uncertain, and they floated in.

"Where's the food?" Butch eagerly asked.

"Upstairs. But if you three want to eat it, you must play tea party with us."

"What? We're not going to play some girly games!" Boomer declared.

"Yes! We won't!" Butch agreed.

"That's not fair!" she huffed, pouting. "I played with you with boyish and rough games at your home. It's only fair that you play games I like to play at my house!"

"But how can we enter? We'd end up bound and gagged by the security the moment we enter," Brick tried to argue.

"Like I did when Boomer kidnapped me?" Bubbles teased.

"Yeah."

"Don't worry. The Professor, when you got pardoned, added you to the exceptions. And, don't tell anyone, but the security features are under repair, and won't work for at least a week."

"Really?" Boomer replied.

"Yes. So how about it?"

"Oh alright!" Brick conceded, "we'll play."

The pout became a smile, and said, "Oh Goody. Wait for my call, and then go upstairs to our room."

"Wait. We've never been to your room," Brick asked. "Where is it?"

Bubbles told them where it was before she went upstairs.

* * *

…

"Girls!" Bubbles said in a loud whisper. "The Rowdyruff Boys are here!"

"What? What are they doing here?" Blossom answered, startled by the news.

"They've come to ask about something, but they were hungry, so I invited them in for some snacks, and asked them to join our tea party, and they agreed."

Both looked at her like he had grown horns and turned evil. Blossom's pink eyes focused, and she asked, "The boys are here and will join our tea party?"

Buttercup soon laughed, joined by Blossom. And it was hilarious, Bubbles had to admit. The idea of any boy, let alone the Rowdyruff Boys, joining their Tea Party was ludicrous! But to her, that made it so much fun!

"Suzie, Octi, Mange, I'm afraid you have to go now," she said as she picked up the doll, the plushie, and the action figure and placed them on top of their pile of toys besides the bed. There were now three empty chairs.

Bubbles went to the door and shouted, "You can come up now!"

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration came upon her, and she suppressed her urge to giggle at the idea.

Buttercup and Blossom managed to stop laughing as they watched Bubbles set things up.

"Girls, I have an idea!" Bubbles squealed.

* * *

 _ **33 (222). The Powerpuff Room**_

…

As they heard Bubbles shout that it was time, Brick wondered how he and his brothers got themselves in that situation—they, the manly Rowdyruff Boys engaging in such a feminine game?

Though he had to admit that he was hungry, and that there was logic in Bubbles' demand since she played rough games at their homes. And he still remembered her cookies! It was delightful!

He was still wondering how a mere inquiry into whether or not the Powerpuff Girls knew where their beloved teacher was, or if they had seen her, or know of her whereabouts, could lead into this?

"Do we really have to go through with this?" Butch whispered.

"I'm afraid so. The girls might not answer our questions if we don't go along," said Brick.

"But it's such a sissy game!" Butch argued. "It's for girls!"

"I know. But Bubbles is right. She's such a good sport in our games, we should be the same in her games," Boomer conceded.

"And let's make it fun," Brick said as he opened the door to the Powerpuff room, and at once, all three girls stood up.

For the first time ever, he set eyes upon the room of the Powerpuff Girls. And it was huge! Bigger than any of their individual rooms. And he could see that all three girls shared one room, instead of having separate ones. The walls were light pink, like Pinky's eyes. Did Blossom choose the color of the walls? There was a soft white carpet on the entire floor, although it seemed to exude a pinkish hue due to the reflection of light from the walls. There were lots of drawings posted on the walls, which he knew from talking with Boomer and Bubbles belonged to the blonde puff. And dominating the center of the room was a big big bed, with a big heart-shaped headboard, with the words _PPG_ inside a pink heart. The pillows were white, and the blanket was in three colors—light blue, pink, and light green, which told him that they slept in the same bed.

How could they stand sleeping in the same bed? Where's the privacy? Although space would not be a problem considering the size of the bed and the small size of the Powerpuff Girls.

On either side of the bed were lamps. On the left, the body of the lamp was a teddy bear, on the right, an octopus.

On the right corner of the room was a mountain of stuffed animals. And on top was a purple octopus with a blue top hat and yellow eyes. Then there was a doll with long red hair in a long flowing pink dress—that belonged to Blossom, of course, and there was another doll—no, more of an action figure, with a dark countenance and the eyes only visible. That apparently belonged to Buttercup. So, by the process of elimination, that meant that the purple Octopus belonged to Bubbles.

Below them were a tangle of more plushies, dolls, and action figures, too mixed up to be distinctly recognizable.

Moving on to the right wall was a chest with the word 'TOYS' written on it. He wondered what was on it? Probably Barbie dolls and other girly toys. Then on the left wall was a bookshelf, and at once, Brick's eyes were focused on it. There were lots of books on various topics—science, history, mathematics, then storybooks on fairy tales. He found the books used to ransom Bubbles twice and chuckled. He was very tempted to play a kidnapping game on Blossom and get her books as ransom! Oh, he would love to read them! And there were comic books—of Spore, various superheroes—Butch would like them!

And there was another pile after the bookshelves which he guessed was Buttercup's—a pair of boxing gloves, a green blanket? A punching bag hanging from the ceiling. Then finally, on the walls were big perfectly shaped oval windows. He wondered where the Professor got the contractors to construct such perfectly shaped windows?

Near the door was a small table with a white phone and a clown's face on it. That was undoubtedly their hotline. And at the foot of the bed was a plastic round table, where the girls were gathered, and six chairs, three occupied, and three empty.

In short, their room was impressive! Very impressive! Except for the fact that they had to share one room. That was something he would never ever consent for his brothers. And that flaw would prevent him from giving it a perfect grade. And it was too girly and sissy, but it was understandable.

* * *

 _ **34 (223). Rowdyruff Tea**_

"And let me introduce you!" Bubbles said, her arm extended to them. "First of all, His Lord Butch Bryan Jojo, the Baron of Berserk!"

There was a second of stunned silence before Brick elbowed his middle brother and gave him a slight push. At that, Butch snapped out of it, and gave a slight bow, without saying a word.

"Then there is his younger brother," the most youthful puff said in an adoring tone, "His Grace, the Duke of Destruction, Boomer Bryan Jojo!"

Boomer smiled and gave a bow. "Thank you, Princess, your highness."

Bubbles giggled, before saying, "And now, His Majesty, the Master Masher, the King of Crushing, the Bludgeoner, Brick Kenneth Charles Jojo, the Emperor!"

Brick floated forward, with a big smile on his face, and bowed. "Thank you, Princess Bubbles! That's very kind!"

"And now, boys, let me introduce you to our guests. First, my Lady Buttercup Therese Utonium, the Ogre of the Castle, and the Toughest Fighter!"

At that, the middle puff stood proudly. "Yes I am the Ogre of the Castle, strong, powerful, and proud, and don't you mess with me!" She then curtseyed.

"And I am Princess Bubbles Joy Utonium, the Joy and the Laughter," she said, before doing a curtsey. "And finally, she is The Big Bad Wolf, Her Excellency, Blossom Catherine Lynn Utonium, the Commander and the Leader!"

Brick wanted to contain his laughter. Did Bubbles just call her eldest sister the Big Bad Wolf? He knew that Blossom, unlike her sisters, did not like the moniker Boomer bestowed upon her. He looked at Boomer, and he was trying to contain himself.

"You should have added, the beautiful, and smart, Big Bad Wolf!" Blossom said after making the obligatory curtsey, with a smug, superior attitude. At least she was a good sport about this. "Come now, boys, sit, and have some tea."

Blossom directed each boy on an empty seat, so that, when they were all seated, Boomer was between Bubbles and Blossom, Brick between Blossom on his left and Buttercup on his right, and Butch between Buttercup and Bubbles.

"Ahem!" Blossom said.

"Oops!" Buttercup said, grumbling, and got the teapot. "How impolite. I forgot. Sorry."

She first approached Boomer. "Tea, Your Grace?"

"Yes please, My Lady," Boomer said, very politely. If the girls thought that they would behave like boors, they'd be in for a surprise. Ms. Keane taught them everything about polite society!

Buttercup poured "tea" or milk on Boomer's cup. Then she went to Brick.

"Tea, Your Majesty?" asked Buttercup to Brick.

"Yes please, my lady," he replied, very politely too.

After pouring milk on Brick's teacup, she went to Butch. Butch looked bored as Buttercup asked, "Tea, my lord?"

"Yes please, My Lady," said Butch, his tone flat and monotonous.

After that, Buttercup sat down and remained in her chair.

And they ate, at first, silently, the boys enjoying the girls' milk and cookies. _Yes_ , Brick thought, _it was worth it to do all this for her delicious cookies!_

"So, Your Grace," Bubbles said, breaking the silence after a minute of eating and drinking, "did you ask Mojo about the orange rope?"

"Oh yeah, about that," Boomer said, "I did, and Mojo said no. I'm sorry, your highness."

"Oh, that's a shame," Bubbles said, disappointed.

"What's that about?" asked Blossom.

"Her Highness wanted to get some of the orange rope after we played a game of tag. It was fun. We were like normal kids," said Butch. "But we needed Mojo's permission to share."

* * *

 _ **35 (224). Where is Ms. Keane?**_

Brick decided to cut the small talk. "Your Excellency," he said, looking at Blossom, "Do you know where Ms. Keane is?"

"Isn't she at home?" Blossom replied, her pink eyes widening. "In fact, shouldn't you be at her tutoring class right now?"

"No, she's not at home," said Brick. "We went there. And there's no one. Which is odd because she never misses a class without telling us beforehand."

"Maybe she needed to do something else," Bubbles suggested.

"We tried calling her, but there was no answer. So we tried her cell phone. Nothing. Apparently, either it's dead, or she's in a place with no signal."

"When did she disappear?"

"What do you mean, Pinky, I mean, Your Excellency?" asked Brick, trying to keep in character.

"Well, Bri—, Your Majesty, what I meant was, what time did you last hear of her?"

"About three this afternoon. I called her on the phone. And when we went there a few minutes later, she's gone."

"Well, maybe there was an emergency, and went somewhere? Do you know that her family lives on a farm out there in the country?" Buttercup suggested.

"Or maybe she's got a date," Bubbles said, before giggling. "You know, that she dated the Professor once?"

"What? He and Ms. Keane? Teacher and your father?" Butch suddenly said rather loudly.

"Yes," Blossom said.

"And what happened, Pink—Your Majesty?" asked the Baron of Berserk.

"Well, My Lord, the Professor hated cats. And Ms. Keane has a cat," Blossom said.

"And they broke up because of that," Bubbles finished.

There was a bit of silence… for a few seconds, before all three boys broke up in laughter. They laughed so hard that they literally fell off their chairs. They laughed so hard that they were hardly able to move.

Bubbles looked at them, then started laughing too, and so did Blossom. Only Buttercup remained unmoved, looking at all of them as if they had lost their minds.

…

* * *

Later…

"Sorry for that," said Brick, "but that was just so funny."

"Yeah. I know that cat. Was it Valentino?" asked Boomer.

"Yes," Bubbles replied.

"That mangy cat!" Boomer shouted, before collapsing into another fit of laughter.

"Hey, wait a minute!" Blossom said. "Why don't you ask the Professor? Maybe he knows where Ms. Keane was? After all, they remained close friends."

"But you can't ask now. The Professor's busy in his lab. You can't disturb him," Buttercup asserted.

"Yes, but you can ask him at dinner, which will start in one hour!" said Bubbles. "So you should stay here for dinner."

"Dinner? But—" Brick began to protest.

"After all, Your Majesty, isn't dinner usually at Ms. Keane's place when it's tutoring days?" asked Bubbles.

"Yes, Bubbl—, I mean Your Highness."

"Since she's not there, where will you eat dinner?"

"But we can't be an imposition—"

"Oh it's no imposition," said Blossom, with an evil smirk. "We'd love to have the future Emperor of the World for dinner."

And just like that, they were invited to dinner at the Powerpuff household.

…

* * *

 _ **36 (225). Playing Kids**_

Brick was still trying to figure out how a mere request for information about Ms. Keane turned into a full-fledged playdate! Yes, a playdate, for what else could one call it? It certainly wasn't a sleepover, as he wasn't planning on spending the night. And it was more than dinner as they found themselves doing activities other than eating.

They were playing! Not that he minded. It wasn't unenjoyable—on the contrary, their hosts made every effort to ensure they were having fun. And they went all the way to indulge them in what the girls viewed as their childish fantasies of conquering the world! And all their games were mutually enjoyable. Like their current game.

They were in the living room.

"Emperor, emperor, Your Majesty!" said Blossom, in an agitated state.

"Yes?" he replied. He had a blanket on his back representing a cape, a toy crown on his head, and a plastic stick as his scepter.

"The Ogre! She's attacking the city!" she said, panicking. "What can we do, dear husband?"

"Hush, my dear empress Big Bad Wolf! Let the Duke take care of it! The Duke of Destruction!" he said to Blossom, who was wearing a toy wolf-skin. It was Bubbles who, naturally, selected the roles and determined that Blossom should be empress and husband to the emperor.

"Your Grace!" Brick shouted, and Boomer, wearing an oversized helmet, appeared.

"I am here!" the blond announced, saluting both Blossom and Brick, "my emperor and empress!"

"Oh, it's terrible! A monster is attacking the city! Could you save the day, or will the Baron be needed?"

"Ha! The Baron is nothing compared to me!" he said, puffing himself and beating his fist against his chest. "Let me at her!"

At that, Boomer ascended the stairs and entered the City, which was the Powerpuff Room. Brick and Blossom followed. In the room was a city, made up of lego and various toys on the ground. Then there was Buttercup, in an Ogre Costume.

And Bubbles, who was wearing a Mojo Jojo costume!

"I am Bubbles! And Bubbles is my name! But you will address me as Princess Bubbles! For that is the moniker that I wish to be known as! And thus, you will call me Princess Bubbles, and you will call me Your Highness! And being Bubbles, I am bad, I am evil! I am not Mojo Jojo, but Princess Bubbles! And being evil, I am going to destroy the city! But not me personally! I am a Princess! I would not dirty my hands on such a menial thing! That's why I summoned my latest creation! Behold, Lady Buttercup the Ogre! The Ogre would destroy the City! Muahahahaha!"

Brick wanted to laugh! She sounded just like Pops! Her tone, her inflection, even the gravely voice!

"ROAR! ROAR!" Buttercup yelled as she approached the city.

"Halt! Do not destroy the city! I will stop you!" said Boomer.

The Ogre went on and began rampaging through the "city."

At that, Boomer attacked the Ogre, and a "fight" broke out. Now, the boys had wanted it to be a real fight, and Buttercup agreed eagerly. But Blossom was adamant. _No real fights_. So they had to pretend to fight. Just like Brick was pretending to be "good."

The fight ended by the Ogre giving a three punch combination on Boomer that sent him reeling. "Oh, I'm hit!" the blonde began to say, "send for the Baron!"

And at that, Boomer "collapsed," and Buttercup put one foot on him, looking at him proudly, and said, "ROARRRRRR!"

"Oh what shall we do, dear Husband emperor!" said Blossom melodramatically, looking at Brick in despair.

"Fear not! We still have the Baron of Berserk!" Brick said, and shouted, "BARON!"

At that, Butch entered, wearing an army helmet, and with a grin on his face. "Ogre! Kill!" Brick barked, pointing at Buttercup.

"Woof!" he said, smiling, and leaped at the Buttercup.

In the "fight," the "city" was mostly destroyed, and finally, "good" won, when the Baron gave powerful punch on Buttercup's jaw, and Buttercup snapped her head upward and said, "ROARRRRRRRR" before collapsing on the floor.

"And once again, the day is saved, thanks to, us!" Blossom said, applauding.

"No! That cannot be! I cannot lose! Princess Bubbles, who is not Mojo Jojo, cannot lose to you lovebirds!" Bubbles said, shaking her fist at the two redheads, gritting her teeth, hissing. "My plan is perfect! I have made every calculation!"

"We should punish her!" said Blossom.

"But how?" asked Brick.

Boomer suddenly "woke" up, and said, "By tickle torture!"

And he leaped at Bubbles and began to tickle her. In the stomach, the neck, the ribs.

And Bubbles laughed, and laughed, and laughed.

Fortunately for her, they heard the Professor shout, "Kids! It's dinner time!"

…

* * *

 _ **37 (226). Dinner With the Professor**_

Dinner was anticlimactic for the Rowdyruff Boys. There were no new hijinks or no new games that the girls perpetrated. Instead, it was a relatively staid meal. The boys, once more, showed their excellent table manners, and the girls behaved with guests present, even if those guests were their self-declared mortal enemies.

The Professor looked around his table happily. Although he didn't like the Rowdyruff Boys at first, he was glad that they weren't his daughter's enemies anymore. One of his worries was that his girls would die one day in battle, and the boys were one of those that generated lots of sleepless nights because of their power and strength which was comparable, and even slightly greater, than that of his girls. In the past, he had taken comfort in the fact that his girls had been way smarter than the boys and that the girls would easily outsmart them. But now? The boys were as smart as the girls, and the girls suffered defeats.

Perhaps he should be thankful that the boys did not choose to destroy his precious daughters, but he was only able to sleep peacefully when the boys decided on peace with the girls. Now seeing them, eating like any other ordinary boys with his daughters like they were just any other ordinary girls, was a joy, as it meant that there was no danger that the boys would seek his girls to destroy them. Now they were acting like friends, even as the boys continued to protest that they were still evil.

They were better than friends! They were playmates!

He heard them all evening, shouting, laughing, talking, playing, just like any other kids, and the fact that all had superpowers meant that there was no awkwardness nor superiority or feelings of inferiority due to power and strength that happened if her daughters played with ordinary kids like Robyn Snyder.

* * *

…

After the inevitable small talk, the object of the boys' visit was revealed.

"Professor," Brick began as they were finishing dinner, after all the talk and the teasing and the laughing that accompanied the dinner, "do you know where Ms. Keane is?"

"Sandy?"

"Yes. You see, we thought that we would have tutoring class today, and she was not home. She hardly ever misses class, and when she does, she would always tell us first," the ruff redhead continued. "And in fact, just a few minutes before class ought to have started, I called her, and she said it would go on, but when we went there a few minutes later, she was gone. And we can't call her."

He shook his head. "I can't say I know," he said, "but don't worry. Something came up. I'm sure tomorrow, you'll see her and this entire thing would be forgotten. You're right though, Ms. Keane isn't a woman who will stand someone up. She's punctual, and her word is her bond. But there's a first time for everything, I suppose."

"Yeah, boys!" Buttercup said, "so she's absent for one day. Big deal!"

"Buttercup's right," said Bubbles. "One time, she was absent because she's sick, and we have this substitute, Mr. Green, and he looked scary, and like a monster. And we thought he was evil, and that he was hurting our classmates, but it turned out we were wrong, and that Mr. Green was very kind indeed, was very helpful, but we nearly hurt him, and so we're very sorry." (1)

"As we were saying," Blossom said, interrupting the digression of her sister, "you really have nothing to worry about. Act like a normal kid and treat this day as a temporary holiday, a chance to play with your friends! Or in this case, play with kids who you declare to be not your friends since you're evil."

"Yeah! This has been the funnest day ever!" Bubbles declared.

"Funnest is not a word!" Blossom retorted. "But yeah, it's fun!"

"And why don't you sleep over? We're gonna have the best slumber party ever, and—"

"I'm sorry, we can't."

And from that, Brick and the boys were adamant—no matter how much Bubbles begged, they would not budge. And this time, the blue puff was not supported by her sisters, and the Professor took the side of the boys too.

"Now Bubbles, I'm sure the boys have a big day tomorrow and need all the sleep they could get," he said. "And they don't have anything to wear since they're boys."

Finally, Bubbles gave up. Suddenly, a bright idea came upon her. "Professor, aren't we gonna go have a family picnic in three days, this Thursday, I think?"

"Bubbles, I don't think that's a good—" Blossom tried to warn.

But the Professor cut her off. "Yes. Thursday, in Townsville Park, just below the volcano top observatory."

"Why don't you boys join us? That is, if you're not too busy?" she asked.

"Is there lots of food?" Butch asked.

"I'm sure the Professor could whip up enough for all of us!" said Bubbles.

"Well, I don't know," said Brick. "Blossom, what do you think?"

Blossom looked at the Professor. "Daddy?"

"If you want to, you're welcome to join us," he said in a friendly tone. "About three in the afternoon. That way, it won't be too hot."

"We'll have to think about it. If we're free, we may join you, depending on what happens," said Brick.

And from that, nothing could change his answer.

"If you decide to join, you know when and where's the picnic. Thursday, three in the afternoon, at Townsville Park, just outside the volcano top laboratory!" Professor Utonium said.

A few minutes later, they said their farewells, and they went home.

* * *

 _ **38 (227). Confrontation**_

As they flew home, Brick chuckled.

"What's so funny?" asked Boomer.

"I still don't get it!" he replied. "How were we roped into doing all those girlish things, when we're the tough manly Rowdyruffs?"

"We got hungry," Butch replied, "and it didn't help that Bubbles' cookies were mouthwatering, and the milk ain't bad either."

"Oh yes! The Rowdyruff Boys! Defeated by growling stomachs!" Brick said before all three laughed.

The time at the Powerpuff home, he had to admit, had been fun, fun, fun! And even the Tea Party was not terrible! Although their time there was a complete waste as they didn't learn anything about their Teacher, he had no regrets. And Bubbles as amazing! She was the girl responsible for their participation. If it had been Buttercup who had answered the doorbell, she'd probably shoo them away. If it were Blossom, she'd answer their questions right away without inviting them in.

Poor poor Bubbles. She always looked adoringly at his blonde brother, and yet, Boomer does not like her. The youngest ruff could hold a grudge, and that grudge about the incident with the ray of light, where he had been stripped of his clothes and Bubbles had pretended to be him, gnawed at him continually, and would not permit him to fully reciprocate Bubbles' actions. Being a playmate was all that she's gonna get from his youngest brother. Boomer would never consider Bubbles a friend until that issue got settled.

They arrived home at about nine in the evening, in a good mood. Mojo had gone to bed, as they had earlier called to say that they would be eating out.

They were in the living room, about to go upstairs to prepare themselves for bed, when it happened.

The house became filled with red smoke. And then, reality seemed to bend as the scene became twisted, and spun slowly until all trace of their home was gone, and they were now in a dark, pinkish red, reality.

They looked around. There were no walls. There was no horizon. There was just…

Red.

And the three boys shook in fear. Brick recognized the place.

They were in HIM's world.

He shuddered.

He remembered the place all too well.

It was the place where they came back to life.

And it was the place where they endured the most horrifying tortures just to earn the privilege of living once more.

It was the place he and his brothers never wished to return to.

Hell.

Yet there they were.

But why?

They looked about.

And saw it.

 _Her._

In the distance. Standing in what looked like some green grass, with a waist-high fence in front of her. And a black void all around.

There she was. Ms. Sandy Keane. Their magnificent Teacher! Who was like a mother to them.

His knees shook. There she was! Suffering.

"Ms. Keane!" Butch shouted.

"Teacher!" Boomer yelled.

All three boys rushed towards her, but before they could even come halfway, a familiar red face appeared in front of them.

It was HIM. And he was gigantic.

All three boys began shaking with fear.

On earth, it was easy to defy the evilest of evil, as he seemed so puny, so vulnerable, so pathetic among mortals.

But here among hell, he was terrifying! He was king, emperor, dictator! Sure, he was not top dog, but that did not matter in that situation.

"Well, Hello, boys, my sons!" he greeted in his high-pitched voice.

"We're not your sons!" Butch shouted.

"And give back Teacher!" Boomer said, fear evident in his shaking voice.

"If you hurt her, if you did anything to her—" Brick began, holding back his tears. He can't show weakness! He can't! He'll be roasted alive if he did. As well he knew when he was dead.

"Such ingratitude! After bringing you back to life! And don't worry, I haven't hurt a hair on her pretty head. And I won't, if—"

"Boys!"

All attention was on Ms. Keane, who finally noticed them, and was reaching out to them in desperation, her blue eyes telling them all.

"Teacher! Don't worry! We'll get you out of there!"

All three boys tried to attack HIM, but they went through his gigantic head as if he was a just an image.

There was a sinister laugh as HIM disappeared and reappeared behind them.

The boys attacked. But it was futile. And with a contemptuous flick of his lobster-like claws, the devil threw them back to the ground.

There was more sinister laughing as the boys picked themselves up.

"This is no use. We can't beat him here! Let's get Teacher, and maybe we'll get her out of this!" Brick ordered.

The three boys raced towards their imprisoned teacher, but they never seemed to get near to her, despite the incredible speeds they flew. She seemed to always remain at the same distance.

"HIM, let her go!" Boomer shouted as they stopped after exhausting themselves.

"So you want to save her? Well, I'm feeling generous. I might spare her, and return her to the mortal world, but only, only, if you do as I tell you. Now listen up, you ungrateful bastards!"

"We're listening!" Brick said, defeated.

"Look at you! All smart and clever! Far more than I thought possible! And you're good! Kind! You're becoming goody-two-shoes, am I right?"

The boys were too exhausted to correct HIM.

"And now you're capping being good by making an agreement with the Powerpuff Girls! An agreement where, if I have to guess, you'll do good, you'll obey all the laws, hurt no innocents, be like the Powerpuff Girls in everything, right?"

"I won't tell!" Brick shouted.

"So I'm right about it! You agreed to follow all laws and break no laws, right? And you've become real friends and allies with the Powerpuff Girls in exchange for being law-abiding! And you bought peace by agreeing to be good! How impressive! I never knew you had it in you!"

"What do you want?"

"If you want to make sure Ms. Keane is returned to the world, unharmed, listen carefully."

End of Chapter 4

As always, please do me a favor and review if you've read this chapter. Reviews really lighten my day and makes me very happy. Thank you very much for reading!

(1) The episode _Substitute Creature_

To **DPSS** _ **,**_

 _I admit, I'm a little disappointed not to see Boomer's refusal. Other than that, it was an ok chapter but there wasn't really much to comment about._

 _PS: If you really like the idea of indestructable uniforms for the boys, Bleedman designed some really good ones for his PPGs comic_

The reason for that was because HIM did not bother to try to sway Boomer, seeing as he saw it as useless after his failure with Butch and Brick.

And I read Bleedman's comic, though to be honest, I didn't like him shipping Blossom with Dexter, even if Dexter was one of my favorite cartoon characters.

 **To Groudon202,**

 _Where do I start with this one?_

 _Let me just preface by saying the story is more then keeping me gripped so far, much like the first one. I drifted out of fanfiction proper years ago, and apart from rereading old favourites of mine, I don't touch it much these days, though the itch returns every now and then. So for your series to keep me coming back every update, that's something. You know most of the reasons from previous reviews for An Education for Power, so I won't repeat them here._

 _When I first started reading this, the plot element of Him trying to sway the Rowdyruff Boys back to him through apparitions, for me, echoed when a similar force tried to sway many of the characters in your previous A &R trilogy, specifically in the third instalment, Mind Games. That... was a weird fic, If I'm being frank. Getting back on track, the point I was making is, much like how An Education for Power echoed Allies & Rivals 1, this (briefly) echoed Allies & Rivals 3. It was brief, as my expectations were subverted once all characters rebuffed the poor sway attempt (as opposed to Mind Games, where Butch did resist successfully, but the characters other then the girls and boys generally fell pretty easily). And now, with the kidnap of Ms. Keane, the story is taking a direction that, though I can predict what will likely happen as regards character arcs, the specifics of how we'll get there could go a fair few ways. Colour me as intrigued as ever, my friend._

Yes, this story was partially inspired with Allies and Rivals III, as there would be many similar elements. But the trajectory would be different, although it would, at first, seem eerily similar. And yeah, the kidnapping of Ms. Keane will have quite a few effects on the relationships of the characters. As to how, you'll just have to find out.

 _Remembering that past stories of yours are split into arcs, or Books here I suppose, this seems to indicate to me that we're speeding up the conflict of this arc. How long will it last? I cannot say? But it's a sign that action is (probably) forthcoming. And hey, I look forward to that, as it will no doubt prompt the girls and boys to work together. Maybe soon, maybe later, but it's coming._

As the title would indicate, the entire fic I planned to encompass their conflict with HIM. And it's part of the character arc of the Boys. You see, part of making the boys fit society and making them look like acceptable heroes in deed if not in thought, was to resolve their relationships with HIM and Mojo. With Mojo, I already disposed of in the first story. This would clarify and explain and fix their relationship with their Resurrector.

 _As always, I remind myself to separate my criticisms from mere personal preferences as to the story's direction, or the focus of the characters. I do feel on occasion that characters other then the girls and the boys tend to only be around just enough to do what is required for the story, and no more, even if that would flesh them or other characters out more. I'm glad Mojo's around, as always, but he's only in the house when the plot calls for it (yes, I know he still works in his observatory). Pay it no heed, ultimately, it's probably (mostly) just me._

I won't give much spoilers, but I can assure you that Mojo would have a greater role in this tale. He would be very crucial.

 _I will say, though, that Butch and especially Buttercup are getting the real short end of the stick lately. Ever since the peace part of the story began, after the last big fight in Education for Power, through that story's end and into this one so far. There's been a pretty clear hierarchy established now in terms of how much focus each of the six superhero kids get._

 _Brick is, and always has been, first, as the boys' arc is primarily instigated by him and his thoughts, which is fine. It makes sense._

 _Blossom used to be second, which also makes sense, but as of late, she's only been appearing to write letters, mostly. So, she'd actually drop to 4th. That's more then fine, it's a sign her arc is being developed more slowly for the time being. Arcs go in and out of focus, that's just how it is._

 _So Bubbles would be 2nd right now, due to constantly popping over to deliver letters, playing with the boys all that. No problems there. Boomer is 3rd, as Bubbles' infatuation with him throws him into the spotlight whenever he visits. Again, fine._

 _But Butch and Buttercup just haven't had much of anything to do lately. It's okay for Blossom to not feature much these last few chapters, as her arc is still there at a slower pace, plus she's had plenty of focus. Butch has gotten a decent amount of comedic material in the past, so that's fine too. But Buttercup... outside of fight scenes and parts that require all six characters, has been very underused for a while now._

 _Of course, I get that the boys are the main characters, not the girls, and aren't developing and changing the way the boys are. That's fine. But the other two girls still have arcs relating to them that tie in to their initial assumptions of the boys. Blossom has her penpal correspondence, assumption of the boys' initial intelligence, all that. Bubbles, going over as frequently as she does now, gets plenty to do. But Buttercup... hasn't. It's not that her opinion of the boys is still a resolute dislike. That fits for her, totally. But nothing's been done with that opinion. She's in character, mostly, just not being taken advantage of. It could well be that there's a more pivotal role for her to come. If not, though, I'd give though to organically integrating her a bit more into the proceedings where it would for for the story._

I agree. The greens are sadly, the most undeveloped characters in my new tale. But fear not, I have planned a major character arc for them, especially Buttercup. But the bad news is, it's going to happen in the far future, at least in story time, so it won't immediately change. As for now, the major character arcs are the reds and the blues. The turn of the greens will come, don't worry.

 _So - that's my critical analysis this time around, Tonifranz! Hope you enjoyed it! Sometimes I don't review every chapter, as you know I'm not one for simply commenting on what's happened, which reviews can turn into when done too frequently. But rest assured, I'm always reading and keeping up with An Education From Him._

As always, reading your reviews are a pleasure. It really makes me happy to receive such as I love having feedback.

To **Ash141** ,

 _LOVED this chapter!_

 _HIM you dastardly villian how dare you take Ms. Keane! The Boys and Girls will get you for this (especially the Boys)! Any respect the Boys had for you before will be completely wiped away when they've found out what you've done with their beloved teacher (cough*mother*cough)!_

Oh yes. HIM doesn't know the boys very well for someone who resurrected them. But no matter what, the boys will have a lingering respect and fear of HIM based on their experiences before.

 _I think it'd be pretty cute when the Boys start going to school if Ms. Keane gave a small, fun project where the students would have to pick the song they felt went with the person that's name they pull out of a bowl (the Boys names would be in there but they wouldn't pick a name out b/c they probably wouldn't know any bands or songs that well). Blossom would get Brick's name and she would pick the song Emperor's New Clothes by Panic! At the Disco (they wouldn't play the song they would just say the title and band out loud). Brick, being curious, would either "kidnap" her or just ask her to come over and up to his room b/c he wants her to play the song for him. She would look it up and play it but the whole time it was playing she would hide her face behind her hands while blushing b/c it embarrassed her that that was the song she chose for him and that he was right there listening to it, while he would be shocked, delighted, and thrilled all at the same time by the song that his counterpart picked specifically for him and it would instantly become his most favorite song ever._

Now that is adorable! I'll try to see if I can fit this suggestion when it's time for them to go to school! And that is a fitting song for Brick, if I say so myself.

 _Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed this chapter and can't wait for the next one! Until next time._

 _~Ash141_

Thank you very much.

To **William F Somebody,**

 _Did HIM just kidnap Ms Keane?_

 _What a foolish foolish act! Does he seriously think that he could get away with it?_

 _Does he really think that doing so would further his goal of getting back his boys into his custody away from Mojo Jojo? I mean that is his ultimate goal, right? To be recognized as father once more, right?_

 _After the failure of HIM to try to turn the boys against each other, this is what HIM resorts to?_

 _No wonder his plans fail as often as they do._

Yes, HIM kidnapped Ms Keane. And yes, I agree, it was very foolish. Though how could it lead to getting back the boys one could only imagine.

And yeah, it could only lead to failure, but what damage could he inflict before he gets finally defeated?

To **John,**

 _Nice chapter!_

Thanks!


	5. II (VI) - The First Task

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Powerpuff Girls. It is owned and created by Craig McCraken, and by Cartoon Network.

* * *

 **An Education From HIM**

Peace reigns between the Powerpuff Girls and Rowdyruff Boys. Even as the boys claims that they remain evil, they become close to their counterparts, becoming penpals and playmates to each other. Yet HIM watches, and vows to shatter their peace. Chapter 5. The boys race to complete the tasks to save their Ms Keane while at the same time maintaining their relationship with the PPG.

 **Book II (VI)**

 **The Tasks**

* * *

 **Chapter V (XXIV)**

 **The First Task**

 _Please, please, leave a review. Thank you._

 _ **39 (228). Listen, My Boys**_

"We're listening!" Brick said.

HIM looked at them with a big smile on his face. He knew that the boys were so attached to their teacher that they would be putty in his hands. But he had to be careful. Sandy Keane was his bargaining chip. If Ms. Keane died, who knew what the boys could be capable of? He wanted to control them, not have some unstoppable berserkers running around.

But first, he had to break their connection with the Powerpuff Girls. As long as the girls were on the boys' side, he knew that any victory would only be temporary. The girls, he was sure, would help them. And in that case, the girls would probably succeed. As they always did.

So how to do it? How to break the trust forged between them and make them, once more, enemies?

The boys promised not to commit crimes, he was sure of it! The Powerpuff Girls would never have made an agreement with the boys without that assurance, or they would be very sorry superheroes indeed!

And he figured out, what to him, was a very clever way to make the girls hate them once more.

"Listen, My boys! I would give you three tasks. If you do it, I promise to let your beloved teacher go free. Fail, and she will die, and it would be on your heads!"

"What is it?" Butch shouted.

"Eager, aren't we?" HIM said, laughing. "Well, your first task is to commit a crime! Yes, break the law that you, I'm sure, promised to uphold!"

He observed the boys, watching for their reactions. Brick's terror faded as his mouth, it seemed, twisted into a smirk. Was his terror gone? Perhaps his criminal nature was reasserting itself, now that he had a perfect excuse to do as he wished?

"No! Please! Anything but that!" the leader suddenly shouted, and went on his knees, and banged his fists on the ground! "I don't want to break the law!" he shouted.

Now HIM was sure that Brick was conflicted. "So, you don't want to disappoint your new friends, the Powerpuff Girls! Ha, you'll break your promise as soon as you made it!"

"Please! Anything! Anything but that!" Boomer suddenly shouted and added his voice to the pleas of his brothers. "The law! We don't want to break it just for this!"

"Aw, ain't that cute? After playing with the Powerpuff Girls, you're so chummy you wouldn't want to show yourself as anything but law-abiding boys! What would the girls think if their new friends reverted to their criminal tendencies? No matter how smart you become, you'll always remain the same—evil! Evil!"

The boys just looked at him, their big eyes desperate.

"No, you will break the law and commit a crime. And not just a piddling crime like those the Amoeba Boys like to commit!"

"Amoeba who?" Butch asked.

"The Amoeba boys! They like to commit crimes like littering, loitering, those kinds of things. No, you won't commit those crimes! You'll commit serious crimes! Crimes that would mark you out as real criminals! _And you won't tell the Powerpuff Girls that you are doing the crime because I told you so, just to save Ms. Keane_!"

"Anything else?" asked Brick.

"No. If you successfully pull this off, I'll give you your second task!" HIM said. "You should complete this task in two days."

With that, he disappeared in a puff of smoke. Then, the scenery began to spin, and the distinct shapes of the place blended into each other, including the distant house and Ms. Keane, and it was suddenly pitched black.

Then light returned, and they were back in their home, in the middle of the woods.

HIM chuckled as he watched them look on in confusion after their return to the mortal realm. Oh, how smart he was! Break the connection between the boys and girls, and the boys would easily be his! And he would show that gnome how to have real fun…

He chuckled as he recalled their conversation.

…

* * *

 _Earlier…_

"So you got their Teacher," said a tiny creature, with flowing red robe and a cone hat, and green hair and beard. "What are you going to do with her? Are you gonna wait for the kids to come rescue her?"

"Certainly not, Gnomey! That would only make the boys and girls closer. Not to mention the girls have a knack for wriggling out of my grip and beating me—even in my realm. No, I have something more sinister in mind!"

"I don't think you could come up with anything more sinister than what I did!" the gnome boasted.

"Tell me again what you did?" asked HIM.

"Oh, I appeared to them when the girls were all disgusted with war and how futile their superheroing turned out to be. I offered world peace and happiness in exchange for their powers! And they actually agreed! I brought peace and happiness, and made the people my worshippers, living in the giant flower in the middle of Townsville!" (1)

"Yet somehow, the girls regained their powers when the Professor began telling them about freedom, and they defeated you by talking over you, talking about opposites, like how there's no light without the dark!" said HIM. "I don't see what's cunning about that!"

"I would've succeeded if it were not for the Professor! The girls became ordinary girls, and the world is worshipping me in exchange for peace! What can be more sinister than that?"

"Oh spare me! You're not that cunning!" said HIM. "You didn't even try after that!"

"So what's your plan?" asked the gnome.

"I'll give them tasks that will break the agreement. I'm going to make them commit a crime. A serious crime! That would make the girls know that they have not reformed, and are not to be trusted!" said HIM.

"Why don't you just tell them to break the agreement?" asked the gnome.

"That wouldn't be as entertaining! I want the boys to think that they have a chance!" said HIM. "Then when, once more, the boys are the mortal enemies of the girls, they would be easier to break!"

"Sounds complicated!" said the Gnome.

"But more fun! I want to mess with their minds!" said HIM.

* * *

 _ **40 (229). What to Do?**_

 _The next day, August 9, 2005, Tuesday…_

"What will we do?" asked Boomer.

That was a question that nagged Brick that morning. They were in the living room for their strategy session. They all agreed they needed to rescue their teacher. They all decided that they needed to do a crime to do it. But that was all…

"What crime will we do?" asked Butch.

To be honest with himself, Brick had no idea. True, he knew a lot of crimes, some grave, and knew how to commit them, as the Rowdyruff Boys had committed many many crimes when they were openly villainous. But now that he _had_ to do one, he was stuck.

Not that he or his brothers were having pangs of conscience about breaking the law. After all, they were still evil. It was the fact that they were _pretending_ to be good that made him hesitate. He did not agree to obey all laws—merely to keep the peace.

"We need to commit a crime without breaking the peace. We agreed to keep the peace, remember?" said Brick as he paced around the room.

"So what do we do?" asked Boomer.

"I'm not sure. We'll do something. I just don't know what yet."

The one thing he was grateful for was that HIM didn't seem to know that he never ever agreed to obey the law. How the evilest of evil missed that crucial fact, he could not figure out, but he was thankful for it. It meant that he could fulfill his task and save Ms. Keane without breaking his recently signed agreement with the Powerpuff Girls.

The trick was in breaking the law without breaking the peace.

But how?

He wracked his brain, and so far, nothing. How could his brilliant mind, that easily absorbed everything that Ms. Keane taught them, have difficulty in coming up with an appropriate solution?

"I just hope that the Powerpuff Girls won't be mad at us," said Boomer.

"Don't be silly. I'll find a way to make them understand without telling the Powerpuff Girls everything," said Brick. "If HIM didn't make us keep this a secret from them, we could just tell the girls, and they'd understand. After all, the girls would want to save their Teacher too, right? But without telling them?"

"We'd be screwed," Boomer answered.

"That's right," said Butch. "But between the girls and our Teacher, I wouldn't give a fig about those Power sissies."

"You and me both. HIM clearly wants the Powerpuff Girls to become our enemies. But we won't let that happen. We will free our Teacher and keep our agreement. We'll commit a crime and keep the peace at the same time," the leader argued.

"How?" asked Boomer.

"I'm still thinking."

The problem for the Bludgeoner was that although he had experience with crime, he had never tried hiding what he was doing. With his powers, he had no fear of getting caught, or of suffering the consequences of his actions. The people, and the police specifically, couldn't touch him, so why bother trying to do it secretly?

Not like other criminals, who needed to do their crimes in secret to get away with it. Like their father, Mojo Jojo! He probably had plenty of experience swiping things under the noses of the police and the Powerpuff Girls!

"That's it! Pops!" Brick suddenly shouted.

"What about Pops?" asked Butch.

"Our father and creator is a villain and a criminal. He knows how to commit crimes in secret."

"Oh yeah!" Boomer concurred. "And he was the one who suggested that we don't swear to uphold the law and only keep the peace. What did he say again?"

"That there would be times that it would be better to break the law and that when we do, we should make sure no one would find out," the ruff leader answered. "Yes, let's go!"

* * *

 _ **41 (230). Encounter with the Blue Puff**_

They flew out of their home, in the direction of the center of Townsville, but they ran into Bubbles on the way.

"BOYS!" she yelled, and the three boys stopped in their tracks, and turned their heads to their right.

There she was, the girl with the blonde hair in pigtails and a blue dress.

She stopped her flight when she was a few feet of them.

"Where are you going?" she asked curiously.

"To Pop's place, in the volcano top laboratory," Boomer answered.

"So you won't play today?" she asked.

"I'm sorry," answered Brick. "We have some work to do."

"Oh," she said, and her disappointment was palpable. "I'm here to give Blossom's letter." And she handed over an envelope.

"Thank you," said Brick, taking the letter and putting it in his pocket.

"And by the way, thank you for last night!" she said, smiling. "It was fun!"

"You were a dead ringer for Pops!" said Boomer, laughing. " _I am Bubbles! And Bubbles is my name! But you will address me as Princess Bubbles!"_

She gave a wide grin. "Doing Mojo was fun, and I never knew I sounded like him! Guess that's because I fought him so many times! But my sisters told me that the reason I sounded liked him was that one time, I actually did think I was him!"

"What?" asked Boomer. "That's crazy!"

"Well, one time, we were fighting your Pops. He was doing evil, you see! And wham! Blam, we were fighting him. And suddenly, something hit my head, and the last thing I remember was him making a long speech where he repeats himself."

"Then what happened?" Brick asked, a little curious.

"They said I woke up and I thought I was Mojo. I stole his clothes, I spoke like him, and tried to take over the world! I only came back when he hit me in the head after telling me to shut up!"

"That's really funny, Princess!" said Boomer, laughing hard.

"Well, we need to go now," Brick said.

"Since I'm going that way, could I fly with you to Mojo?" asked Bubbles.

"Yes, but not to Mojo's lab itself. We need to discuss something with Pops, and it's private," the Bludgeoner replied.

"Don't worry. I won't linger!" she said as they resumed their flight.

"So what are you going to do at Mojo's?" asked Bubbles as she flew beside her counterpart.

"Some family matters," said Boomer. "Hey, I heard you actually built Pop's observatory? That's awesome. I wish I could make something as awesome as that!"

"Aw, it's nothing!" Bubbles said. "Mojo was the one who directed us. We thought we would be building it to make Townsville a better place, but turns out, it was for something evil! To take over the world!"

"That's Pops!" said the blue ruff. "And I want to be able to build something as awesome as his laboratory! It's nice and good to draw buildings, and use lego, but nothing beats building the actual thing."

"Oh, it's not that hard. With our powers, we could easily do so," she answered.

"I can't wait to try," he said, his mouth twisted into a grin that couldn't get bigger.

"Hey, I know! Maybe I should ask Mojo himself if he could give us some of that orange rope?" she asked, shifting the topic.

"That's not a good idea," he replied. "He never even wanted for you to know that we have it! It's a secret, supposedly."

"But you used it to tie me up as soon as you could!" Bubbles giggled.

"Yeah. Kidnapping is more fun if your captive really can't escape!" he defended. "So you don't need to pretend!"

"Yeah, I really can't!" she said.

"And I'm evil, so I can take you and get ransom whenever I like!" he declared as they approached the laboratory.

Which only made Bubbles giggle more.

"Well, see you later, boys! Bye!" she said as soon as they stopped, right above the observatory.

"Bye!" said Brick right before she flew away, in the direction of their home.

* * *

 _ **42 (231). Paternal Advice**_

Mojo Jojo was looking through his blueprints, but his mind wasn't on his work. It was with the events the night before.

The boys stayed at the Powerpuff Girls home.

All night.

They were supposed to eat dinner together! And they arrived so late that he slept early. Granted, he was so exhausted by his work in the lab that he had fallen asleep almost immediately after the boys made a call that they would not go home early.

But it was still reckless! They should have told him way earlier! Not just through a call when it was an accomplished fact! What if something happened? What if those accursed Powerpuff Girls turned against his evil sons and attacked them while they were not looking? Not that it was probable, but that didn't stop his worry.

He was relieved when he saw his boys in their beds when he woke up very early in the morning. At least they were safe.

He had a lot of work to do, so he had not bothered to wait for his boys to wake up before leaving.

Coupled with the fact that Sandy Keane seemed to have disappeared from the face of the earth—things were becoming stranger by the minute.

He was busy staring and analyzing one particular blueprint. Perhaps this one would be patented. He wondered how much would this thing be worth. He was sure that the military would eagerly bid for it, and pay handsomely to Mojo to secure the rights to it. The army would crush all the country's enemies! If they decided to conquer the world, Mojo would be very glad to help.

"Hello, Pops!"

"Gahh!" he shouted as he grabbed his laser gun, turned around and pointed…

At his sons. It was Boomer.

"Don't do that! Always knock!" scolded Mojo. "What can I do for you, now that you have disturbed my concentration?"

"Whatchadoin?" Boomer asked.

"Making you rich in the future! Making your future wealth, which I won't be able to do if you keep distracting me! That is to say, you are keeping me from concentrating on my work, which I am doing because I am in my volcano top laboratory, which was formerly my home before I moved in with you in order to fulfill my fatherly duties, so I made this volcano top laboratory my workplace!"

"Cool!" Butch said in a flat tone.

"And where were you last night?"

"Well, you said after we came last time that we should go to the—"

"Yes, I know! You went to the Powerpuff Home, right? And you spent the time playing!"

"Yes, but—" Brick began, but Mojo continued ranting.

"Playing! Who am I kidding? You are but kids! Kids who are immature and likes to play to the exclusion of everything else! Let me guess! They offered to play, and you accepted, then offered that you eat dinner there, and you accepted!"

"Yes, but—" Brick tried to explain.

"And you didn't tell me until it was late! What a useless call! I knew Sandy was not teaching that day, so I thought, instead of eating dinner at her home like we usually do during tutoring days, we ought to have a nice family dinner! So I prepared some food! Don't you know that I am an excellent cook? Perhaps that is where you, Butch, got your culinary skills from! So I made it! And I waited. And waited. Until you suddenly called and told me that you won't eat at home. So I went to bed. And you arrived!"

"I'm sorry," Boomer said. "We should've called earlier."

Both brothers looked at Boomer before they nodded too.

"Next time, call earlier, like before I go home from work, so I will know what I would do and would not make a futile wait. Or make a futile meal. Which I ate by myself so it wouldn't be wasted. That really gave me a stomach ache and made my sleep restless!"

"We will," said Brick.

"So what do you want? Be fast, because I am busy, and I do not want to waste time, since time is money, and making money is my new goal in life! And make what you are going to say brief, and do not repeat what you are going to say. Repeating what you have to say over and over is wasteful, and I have better things to do that to listen to the idle chatter of things! So be brief, concise, to the point, and always remember to save time. By not repeating what you are saying! I repeat, do not repeat what you say!"

The boys told their father the events of the night before.

* * *

…

"So you see, we need to commit a crime, but in such a way that it would keep the peace. We would like to save Ms. Keane, but if we could, we'd like to do it in such a way as to keep our agreement with the Powerpuff Girls."

Mojo was shocked by what his son had told him. He never imagined that HIM would stoop to such levels to… What was he after?

Obviously, HIM wanted to break the fragile truce between the boys and girls. But why? HIM's goal was to wrestle away his sons from him, Mojo Jojo. What's the connection?

And suddenly, a thought began to form. What if he let Ms. Keane die and be stuck with HIM? That would leave the boys entirely at his mercy. He will have no difficulty maintaining them on the path of world conquest. He would have no rival in raising the Rowdyruff Boys to adulthood. And he would also gain revenge against the Powerpuff Girls.

Revenge! The Powerpuff Girls would be so devastated, so heartbroken if their beloved Teacher would just disappear, and die! Only the Professor's death would have more impact on their little minds. Yes. Yes. He should let this go, and let her rot.

He looked at his three sons. And he hesitated.

But if he did that, it would devastate his three sons too. Look at their eyes! They really wanted her back! They were determined to save her! If Ms. Keane died in this, they would die inside, and all hope, perhaps, of conquering the world and defeating the Powerpuff Girls would be gone too.

And he wanted his sons to be happy. How can he do that if he let their beloved teacher die? They would never recover! And they would never have the happy childhood needed to prepare them for the great tasks of the future.

Brick would be the ruler of the world. Mojo would make sure of that.

But Ms. Keane was needed to help him grow up, no matter how much he tried to deny it.

Sadly, he put away the thought in his mind. Curses! The things he was willing to do for his three creations!

Besides, he would love to get one over on HIM! He would prove that Mojo, even if he retired from crime, was the better villain. And this was a conspiracy, he knew, to wrestle the boys away from him, their creator.

This was a custody battle turned up to eleven! He would fight the lobster who called himself the evilest of evil tooth and nail! And he would win!

And he owed Ms. Keane. If it weren't for her, he never would have been reunited with his boys. _I hope you're happy, Sandy Keane! I, the evil Mojo Jojo, am going to save you!_

"Yes, I am willing to help," the Monkey announced.

"Really?" the three boys in unison said.

"Yes. For you. And to show HIM who's boss!"

"So what crime are we going to do?"

"Yes. Crime. A serious crime. You're going to steal the Famous _Diamond of Despair_ in Townsville Museum! You see, it's on loan to our Museum since they think that with two sets of superheroes, they would be more secure! Little do they know!"

"A diamond?" Butch asked, his voice showing some disappointment.

"Yes. You're going to steal it in the perfect crime. It's going to be so perfect, that they won't even know that it was you who took it! And without others knowing that it was you who took it, then you can't break the peace, right?"

"That is so clever! But how do you go on about it? We committed crimes before we got pardoned, but always in the open. We never had to hide our acts," Brick stated.

"I'm glad you asked. Here's what we're going to do."

* * *

 _ **43 (232). The Museum Defenses**_

 _Meanwhile…_

"You're early!" Blossom said as soon as Bubbles arrived home. "What? Did you get sick of playing rough games with the boys? Or did Brick finish his letter early?"

"They're busy. They went to Mojo on some family thingie," Bubbles said, her disappointment evident.

Blossom smiled. "Don't worry. I am going to ask you to go to them to see if he finished his letter."

"Really? Oh my God! Maybe he hasn't even started when I got there, and I'd have to wait, and me and Boomie will play and have fun—"

"And Butch too," Blossom said, suppressing a snicker.

"And Butch."

"Anyway, it's good you're here. The Mayor called. We got a special mission."

"Really? What kind of mission?" asked the blonde.

"I'm not sure. But it's from the Museum curator. Something about a diamond of despair or something."

…

* * *

"Thank God you're here! After the fiasco of the key of the world, it's challenging to persuade anyone to lend us anything of value!" the Museum curator, Richard Richards, said to the Powerpuff Girls and Professor Utonium inside the museum. "At least the diamond, valuable as it is, doesn't give the possessor any right to rule the world, or even have some special powers, like the diamonds used by villains to create lasers or to turn people into dogs! This is just an ordinary diamond!"

"Could we take a look at the diamond?" asked Bubbles.

"With pleasure," said the curator, leading the four to a giant vault. After opening the giant metallic doors, they came upon something covered in white cloth. The curator, a middle-aged man, about 40 years of age, with a big belly, a balding head with little of his brown hair remaining, and deep blue eyes, removed the cloth.

And all four gasped.

It was the most beautiful diamond they had ever seen.

"It's so pretty!" Bubbles cooed. It was big and colored blue. She imagined herself wearing such a diamond. She giggled. They were not rich enough to afford such. And the color was so magnificent

"Yes. It is quite a beauty. It will be exhibited tomorrow," said the curator, proud of his latest acquisition. "And we've recently put some state of the art defenses that would guard against any would-be thief or robber. And with you on board, there's nothing to worry about. With you and the Rowdyruff Boys as guards, there would be double the security!"

"Wait—you've called the Rowdyruff Boys too?" asked Buttercup.

"Not yet. I called you first, and I'm going to call them after this meeting."

"Well don't call them!" said the green puff, and the others looked at her in surprise.

"But, they are superheroes too!" Bubbles protested.

"And with double the heroes, nothing would be able to touch it!" the curator argued.

"We don't need them. This isn't some super-tough villain or monsters, where we would need their power," the green puff argued. "We can handle it. We don't need the help of those boys. What do you think, Red? Do you think the Powerpuff Girls need the help of those boys for such a small, simple, task? Do you think that the Powerpuff Girls are so inadequate that we couldn't do it by ourselves?"

Bubbles looked at Blossom, who was deep in thought. _Oh Please say we need those boys!_ she silently pleaded. It would give her a good excuse to be with them, and maybe they would make the guarding exciting.

"Well, this is a simple job. We don't need them. And we don't work together. So yes, I believe the Powerpuff Girls could handle it by ourselves," she concluded. "After all, we were able to do this by ourselves before they became heroes!"

Bubbles was disappointed, but she kept it to herself. Buttercup had appealed to Blossom's pride.

"If you say that you could do it by yourselves, then I believe you. Now, I would need you to be available all night—"

But it was interrupted by the Professor, who spoke for the first time. "No, Mr. Richards, I cannot allow that. For they are seven-years-olds and they have bedtime. Even if it's summer, they are still growing little girls, and I cannot allow them to stay up all night!"

"No, no. That's not what I meant," said the curator. "I was thinking of using the Rowdyruff Boys as guards during the dead of night, but the Powerpuff Girls are right. They can handle it. Here's what I propose. This museum, as I said, has the latest state-of-the-art defenses. Laser beams are surrounding the stand where the diamond would be displayed. And there would be even more tripwires around the place. Plus the place would be surrounded by knock-out gas just to make sure that any thief, if they managed to enter, would take a nice long nap and wake up in jail. And there would be more CCTV cameras all over the place, and the guards would monitor every single foot of the museum. Plus, there would be more guards posted!"

"So what do you need us for?" Buttercup asked.

"Just in case someone breached the defenses, and set off the alarm, I propose that it would immediately send a signal to your hotline, and ring it, without passing through the Mayor. Now, that signal would send a distinct ring, so that you'd immediately know that it came from activating the defenses of the museum by the intruder. So you can stay at home for bedtime, and you need not worry about anything."

"That's very clever!" Professor Utonium exclaimed. "I'll set up the system right away!"

…

* * *

 _ **44 (233). Infiltrating the Museum**_

"Are they still there?" Mojo asked.

"Yes, they are," Brick said, replying on his earpiece microphone.

It was night, about ten in the evening, and they were floating, in the middle of a cloud, above the museum. All three boys were wearing black from head to toe, having discarded their color-coded outfits to don ninja-like black clothing to conceal their identity, complete with black shades to hide their eyes colors, and gas masks. After all, remaining unknown was part of the plan. Being detected, or worse, getting caught, was not an option.

They were wearing a headpiece microphone, attached to their right ear with a small microphone on the mask where their mouths were. Mojo was in his laboratory, directing everything like a general in his headquarters.

"Curses! You told me they'd go home! At this rate, they'd guard that thing the entire night!"

"I don't think so. They have their bedtime."

"How do you know?"

"Because before we got tutored, we went to the library at night and dressed as ghosts," Brick said, "and the girls would stay in the library to try to catch us. We would always wait for them to leave, and they'd always leave at ten. That's their bedtime during summer."

"What? What were you doing in the library as ghosts?" asked Mojo, sounding skeptical.

"Well, we wanted to learn, so big brother decided we have to sneak in the library at night to read," Boomer began to explain. "But people began to be nosy, so we put on white sheets to scare away the people just like in Scooby Doo. But those snoopy sissies got involved, so we walloped them in the head with my bat. But they became nosy, and wouldn't leave us alone!"

"What?" a confused sounding Mojo replied.

"It's a long story," said Butch. "We'll tell it another time."

Indeed it was a long story. But it had been vital, Brick noted. It had set in train the events that lead them to Ms. Keane. That was when Boomer came up with his nicknames for their counterparts—Big Bad Wolf for Blossom, Ogre for Buttercup, and Princess for Bubbles, that eventually lead to their discovery by the girls, which was another long story.

"They are leaving!" Butch said, looking down. Brick smiled as he saw three streaks of light leave, just like expected, to the direction of their home in the suburbs.

Perfect.

"Are they really gone?" Mojo asked in confirmation.

"Yes, Pops."

"Good. I'll just shut down the entire system of protection," Mojo said.

"Could you do that from there?" asked Boomer.

"How many times do I have to repeat it? Here goes. The Museum periodically updates its security features. Because there are so many evil villains in this city, it is more advanced than any other museum. And they always update it! One of the jobs Professor Utonium gets to do is to design and upgrade the security of the Museum. But the city isn't the only one who is busy. Villains, like I, were also busy updating our capabilities so as to enable us to steal whatever we wanted from the museum. And yes, even if I became 'good,' I still studied the security of the museum and pondered how to break it, even if, from now on, I would only do it as an intellectual exercise. Now you see the fruits of my research!"

Brick sighed as he prepared for another rant. He wanted to thrash his youngest brother for giving his father an excuse to mouth off. Didn't Boomer listen to his earlier explanations?

"I have recently completed an invention that shuts down the security of the museum, but with the added advantage that it won't _seem_ that I have shut down the security. To the dozing guards, all will _seem_ to be normal. Their cameras will _seem_ to work, their tripwires and their lasers would _seemingly_ do their job. But obviously, it would not. Just trust me, and go in and take the diamond, but make no noise. And do remember to put your gas mask on. That place is filled with knock-out gas, just in case."

"Okay, Pops. We're ready."

"Good," the chimpanzee said. "The beam is invisible, but with your special shades, you would be able to see it. Go and make sure it catches you."

Using the shades that Mojo gave, they saw a great beam shoot from the volcano top observatory towards them. The Rowdyruff Boys let it hit them.

And they shrank to a very small size.

They flew to the museum as fast as they could. They looked at the big wooden door of the museum. About four guards were watching, but they did not pay attention to them, as they were as tiny as an ant and their black outfits made them practically invisible in the dark. They entered the little space between the bottom of the door and the marble floor.

The shades that they wore was not ordinary eyewear. It was developed by Mojo Jojo for such a mission. Not only would it allow them to see Mojo's invisible shrinking beam, but it showed all the infrared lights, all invisible lasers, and tripwires. In short, it showed everything they needed to avoid to stay undetected.

But to be sure, they flew up to the ceiling and stayed close to it as they approached the various rooms of the museum. They always made sure to stick to the top of the place to avoid all the pitfalls and traps on the floor.

* * *

…

After navigating the various rooms, they saw it.

The _Diamond of Despair_!

It was stunning! So beautiful! And it was color blue!

Brick became jealous! He couldn't make such beautiful diamonds, at such size, from coal! He could only make ordinary diamonds! And that process would nearly kill him and leave him powerless until he had a nice pleasant sleep! All to have something to pay Ms. Keane with for her tutoring!

It was on a marble stand, covered by a glass case. He could see lots of lasers around the place. About four cameras were trained on the diamond.

"We're here. You sure the cameras won't catch us?" the ruff leader asked.

"Don't worry, my sons!" Mojo said. "We went over this. Now do this by the book."

The three went over to the case. The looked around. And saw the lock.

Fortunately, they were small enough, and the keyhole to the lock was big enough, that one of them could just fit inside it. Boomer went inside the lock, and a minute later, it released the glass.

Boomer went back and nodded to his brothers. Butch then grabbed the glass case and lifted it high.

Brick lifted the diamond and flew out from below the case. Butch put the glass case down, and Boomer went back to the keyhole.

There was a click, and Brick knew that the glass case was locked. Boomer flew beside his brothers, and said, "Done."

"Good. Let's get out of here."

They flew to a window near the ceiling. It too was locked.

Boomer again went inside the keyhole of the lock and unlocked it. Then Butch pushed it open so that the diamond could fit. He and Brick exited. Boomer remained inside.

Butch pushed the window close, and Boomer locked it from inside.

Butch and Brick flew high above the clouds and activated their x-ray and telescopic vision to monitor Boomer's escape.

* * *

 _ **45 (234). Escape**_

…

Boomer suppressed the urge to grin as he flew towards the front door. Everything had gone peachy! Mojo's plan was flawless! He kept to the ceiling, avoiding all the traps. He left the building by way of the space between the bottom of the door and the marble floor—the same place they had entered.

It was fun! It was exhilarating! He remembered why committing a crime and breaking the law had been so much fun! He was glad his big brother did not agree to obey the laws at all times! Yes, this proved that their natures were evil, not good, no matter what the Powerpuff Girls might think.

He then flew high into the clouds above, where Brick, tiny next to the diamond he held with both hands above him, and Butch, were waiting.

"Let's grow," Boomer said as he reached his brothers. Despite the exhilaration of their adventure, he did not want to remain that small.

Brick nodded, and said, "Pops, it's done."

"Good. I'll return you to your original size," their father said, and they saw another beam stream out of the volcano top observatory. Brick tossed the diamond in the air just before it hit them.

They felt the beam engulf them. And the boys returned to normal size.

"We're back to normal, Father," said Brick, catching the diamond as it fell down.

"Good! Now return to the lab!" Mojo ordered

"Let me see it!" Boomer said in a loud voice.

"Shhh!" Brick scolded as he gave to his younger brother the diamond.

"Sorry," Boomer whispered back as he held the diamond. It was pretty. He loved the blue color so much. He wondered what Bubbles would look like wearing such a big stone. Girls liked diamonds, he learned from Ms. Keane. But she probably won't like it if she learned it was stolen. Because she was a sissy and a Powerpuff Girl. "Wow! This is nice!"

"Yup! If I knew there was such a thing, I would've stolen it before we got pardoned. Ms. Keane deserves this kind of diamond, don't you think?" Brick asked as he stared at the jewel.

"Yes," Boomer replied. "But Teacher already has so many."

"I know. But never blue," said Brick.

"Let's go home," Butch whined. "It's just a diamond! You two are worse than girls gushing over that carbon! I mean, you make diamonds from coal! What's so special about that? So it's color blue! Big deal!"

Brick grabbed the diamond and put it in his pocket. "It's special because the puny normals think it's special, and would pay an arm and a leg, and more, for this bauble. And if I know HIM, he would love this."

"You're acting like a sissy!" Butch accused.

"Take that back! If you don't want a fight!" the leader growled.

"I take it back!" Butch conceded, who was not in a mood to fight his older brother over the matter.

"Let's go to Mojo!" Brick ordered, and three boys went to the volcano-top observatory.

…

* * *

"This is so beautiful!" Mojo gushed at the blue diamond. "Too bad it's useless! You can't use it to turn people into dogs!"

"What?" Boomer asked.

"Long story. And you can't use it as a part of a giant laser gun!"

Boomer began to doubt the sanity of his father. A diamond in a laser gun? And to turn people into dogs? Madness!

"You still have until tomorrow night to show to HIM that you have committed a crime! And oh boy! Have you committed the crime of the century!" Mojo gloated.

"Yes, we did!" Brick said proudly. Then his grin fell, and he looked thoughtful.

"What is it, my precious eldest son who will be emperor of the world?"

"Are you sure you disabled everything? I mean, there were a lot of cameras!"

"Yes I did!" he said. "Look at this!"

He pointed to a giant laser gun behind him.

"That's a giant laser! How does that help?" Butch asked.

"That is no mere giant laser. I have configured it so that, by merely turning a knob, I could turn it into a giant scrambling machine! With this, I pointed the device at the museum, and I shut down the entire security, including all the cameras! And as you informed me of your success, I turned it on once more!"

"We better call HIM!" said Butch.

"I recommend doing it tomorrow," the father cautioned.

"But Ms. Keane—" Boomer began to protest.

"Listen. He wanted you to commit a crime. But would he believe you if you turn up with a diamond without anything else? Just wait a day, wait until there's news, when the people would learn how their precious diamond has been stolen! Then break it to HIM, then show the diamond!" Mojo advised. "As for Ms. Keane? Don't worry. I know HIM. He won't harm a hair on her. He'll treat her nice."

…

* * *

 _ **46 (235). HIM Did It!**_

 _The next day, August 10, 2005, Wednesday…_

"I can't believe this! How could this happen?" the museum curator cried as the Powerpuff Girls and the Professor looked on. They woke up to cries and yells of a diamond stolen. The girls immediately came, followed by the Professor.

And there it was. The empty marble stand where the diamond had been.

"How could this happen?" asked Blossom. "The security's state of the art!"

"Yes! I designed it! How could my perfect system let something like this happen?" the Professor shouted. He was beside himself. His professional reputation was at stake.

"Didn't the CCTV cameras catch what happened?" Buttercup asked, as shocked as the rest of them.

"Yes, no!" the curator said in despair. "There was a gap."

"A gap?"

"Yes. Something. I don't know what disabled the security for twenty minutes. If you look at the time stamps on the videos, then you'd see that it suddenly stopped at 10:20 p.m., then resumed at 10:40. But how did they do that? And even if they did do that, there were lots of other features that should have tipped us off! The lasers! The knock out gas! The trip wires! And the glass itself! But there was nothing! Nothing! You girls shouldn't have gotten home during bedtime! Can't you see what's happening? They just waited until you three went home, and struck!"

This made the Professor livid. "Are you telling me that I should've sacrificed the well-being of three young growing girls just for the sake of a carbon-based bauble?"

Blossom felt guilty. "I guess we should've called the Rowdyruff Boys. Maybe Mojo would have allowed them to stay up past their bedtime? After all, they did stay up all night in the library in the past."

"The boys? Who needs the boys?" Buttercup ranted.

"Well, we can't be everywhere twenty-four hours a day!" the pink puff argued.

"What's going on, Pinky?"

All the attention went to the source of the voice.

And there they were. The Rowdyruff Boys. Brick. Boomer. And Butch.

"Great! What are you doing here?" asked Buttercup. "Who called you?"

"He did!" Brick said, pointing to the curator.

"Yes. After I learned of what happened, I decided that two sets of superheroes working on the case would be better than just one!" said the Museum curator. "So I called them right after I called you. Though it took a while to contact the mayor and ask for their phone number."

"So what happened?" asked Brick.

"Yeah. What's going on here?" Boomer asked.

"Oh, Boomie! It's terrible!" Bubbles shouted, and began to narrate everything that happened.

…

* * *

"So, who do you think did this?" Brick asked as soon as the narration was finished.

"We don't know. It doesn't seem the work of ordinary crooks. So it must be villains. But why? That diamond is nothing special," Blossom said. "Sure, it's expensive and pretty, but it doesn't have any magical properties, nor could it be used to power any kind of weapon."

"That we know of," the Professor finished.

"And any ordinary crook trying to steal the jewel would be caught," the leader of the Rowdyruffs finished. "So it has to be a villain."

"But who?" Bubbles asked.

"Yes. It can't be Mojo since he reformed. And it can't be the Gang Green Gang. They aren't sophisticated enough to do this sort of thing. They tried once, but the security is so much advanced that they won't be able to crack it!" Blossom speculated.

"Maybe it's HIM," Brick suggested.

"You mean, he that is so evil that you cannot even say his name?" asked Bubbles.

"The cruelest of cruel? The evilest of evil?" Buttercup concurred.

"Yes. HIM. Think about it. He can appear and disappear anywhere he likes to. He can mimic anyone. He can manipulate reality. He could turn technology against anyone," the leader argued confidently. "I know. I lived with him while we were dead."

"But why?" asked the Professor.

"Who knows? But among all the evil villains, he's the only one who could do this," Brick argued.

"How could we get it back if it was HIM?" asked the curator.

"If it was HIM who really stole the diamond, I'm afraid it's gone for good. Who knows what depths of Hell he took the diamond to?" said the redhead ruff leader.

"But are you sure it's HIM?" asked Blossom.

"I'm not one hundred percent sure. But he's the most probable suspect," he shrugged. "Who else could it be though?"

"You're right. Nobody else seems capable of such a perfect crime," said Blossom.

…

* * *

 _ **47 (236). The Cheek, The Nerve**_

 _Later that night…_

It was about ten in the evening. Mojo was asleep.

"HIM! HIM!" Brick shouted in his living room. He was holding the diamond in one hand, and a newspaper in another. Boomer and Butch were behind him.

There was silence for a while until they heard a high-pitched cackle. It was HIM.

Then there was a cloud of red smoke, and reality became distorted as once again, they were sucked into the domain of HIM, their Resurrector.

They were, once more, in Hell.

And at a distance, they could see their beloved Teacher, Sandy Keane.

Then he appeared. HIM, in his resplendent glory, his silly lobster-like hands, his sinister red face, his black high heeled boots.

"Did you do it?" asked the evil being in front of them.

"Yes. Look at this!" Brick proudly said, showing off the blue diamond.

"What's that?" a curious HIM asked.

"Why, it's the Diamond of Despair! And we stole it!" the leader of the Rowdyruff Boys proudly stated.

"What?" asked HIM.

"Here it is! And for proof, read this afternoon's paper!"

…

* * *

HIM grabbed the paper, and his eyes widened. There was a picture of the diamond stolen.

 _ **DIAMOND OF DESPAIR STOLEN! BRICK JOJO SAYS IT WAS HIM**_

 _Once more, a precious object had been entrusted to the care of Townsville. And once more, like the key to the world, which, two years ago, was entrusted to this fair city, Townsville bungled it._

 _The Diamond of Despair, loaned to Townsville temporarily, was stolen last night, between 10:20 pm and 10:40 p.m. The city took all precautions. It upgraded the security of the museum. It called on the father of the Powerpuff Girls, Professor John Utonium, to inspect the security and to make sure it was up to the task. It tasked the Powerpuff Girls, Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup, all surnamed Utonium, to guard the jewel before bedtime._

 _But all of it was for naught, for it was stolen. The Rowdyruff Boys, the new heroes of the city, who was not called to assist in the guarding, was invited to help in the investigation._

 _Speaking to the press, the leader of the Rowdyruff Boys, Brick Jojo, stated that it was probably HIM, the evilest of evil, who was the culprit, as no other villain could have the means to do so. Blossom Utonium, the leader of the Powerpuff Girls, agreed and said that HIM probably stole the blue diamond. - Associated Press_

…

* * *

Why the cheeky little devils!

"So we completed the first task, right? Not only did we steal that diamond, but we also blamed you! That is two crimes. One, robbery. Two, false accusation."

 _The cheek! The nerve!_

HIM wanted to get mad, to shout, to get rid of Ms. Keane.

But he laughed. He can't help but applaud the cleverness of the boys.

"And I suppose that nobody, not even the Powerpuff Girls, knew it was you who stole the diamond?"

"Naturally," Brick said proudly. "It is the perfect crime! Now, what is our second task?"

HIM had thought that by committing a crime, he would make the boys break their agreement with the girls. But with it being a secret from the Powerpuff Girls, that would not happen.

The boys cheated!

But he would let them get away with it. After all, they did literally fulfill his first task.

It was like when he made the Powerpuff Girls make the city have tears in their eyes, but instead of beating and hurting the citizens, they made it rain so that the citizens 'teared' up. (2)

So his second task needed to be full proof. He needed to makes sure that the Powerpuff Girls would know that the boys committed a crime.

And an idea popped into his head.

Perfect!

"You did very well!" HIM said, "not only did you commit the perfect crime, you even blamed me for it! That is worthy of being my son! Very worthy indeed!"

"So what's our second task?"

He smiled. _Oh, this task would undoubtedly cause the agreement between the Powerpuff Girls and the Rowdyruff Boys to break._

End of Chapter 5

As always, please do me a favor and review if you've read this chapter. Reviews really lighten my day and makes me very happy. Thank you very much for reading!

(1) The last episode of season 6, See Me, Feel Me, Gnomey

(2) The episode of season 4, Him Diddle Dee. Of course, Buttercup had no qualms of beating innocent citizens for tears, but they cannot do that to all citizens in the two minutes allotted to them by HIM.

* * *

 **Author Notes**

To **Ash141,**

 _Aaaah! HIM you bastard, what do you want with those amazing boys?! You better not hurt them, the Girls, or Ms. Keane!_

 _I loved the playdate, it was very cute!_

 _& thank you for considering my ideas, I'll read stories & my mind will instantly fill with the many ways it could go & what could happen in it. _

_Can't wait until the next chapter! Until next time._

 _~Ash141_

This chapter answered what HIM was really planning. And what he really wanted.

And yes, it was cute. I had writing those scenes, as they are still little children at this point. Even if smarter than average.

You're welcome. They are very entertaining. And it's just a matter of fitting it on the main plot. Perhaps when they go to school.

Hint. In September, they will go to school. It's August, so after the HIM adventure, it's school time.

* * *

To **DPSS,**

 _Well, shit. Him probably gonna blackmail the boys into something nasty. Damn lobsterman, he was never this vicious with the powerpuffs._

The boys are considered "traitors", and the girls merely adversaries, so it's no wonder he would be more vicious with the the boys in comparison to how he dealt with the girls.

Well, I got my idea from the episode, _Him Diddle Dee._ Where the Powerpuff Girls would have to solve riddles or the Professor would "pay."

There was one instance where there were two Ms Keane. One is real, and one is fake, and if they fail the task, Ms Keane would be dropped into a tub of boiling water with sharks. And in this story, HIM is giving the boys more time to accomplish their tasks, since in that story, they would have to solve the riddles in two minutes or so.

* * *

To **Juniper JDK,**

 _Gaah! Your last two chapters have been two different cliffhangers. Why, Tonifranz. Whyyy!_

 _Sometimes I just gotta remember that the same boys who spelled dumb as 'dum', had some dead... slug... on their arms.., and... spit boogers at planes... ew... are now possibly the smartest child prodigies in the world. This is why I love this fic..._

 _HIM is dumb, and I mean like... D-U-M kind of dumb... Kidnapping Ms Keane in an attempt to get the Ruff's on his side, and then blatantly admitting to it. Just.. wow..._

 _I can already SEE Bubbles making a fool of Boomer during school, Brick and Blossom dragging a spelling bee on for hours, Butch getting into a fight with someone else at school, Princess tailing the boys everywhere, and maybe a few kids getting scared of the boys or something? I mean, Elmer Sglue is already terrified of the Powerpuff Girls, so..._

 _Good chapter, and a really fast update too, Good job!_

 _\- JDK_

I just love cliffhangers…

Yes. They were like that before. And yeah, they were smarter than before.

This chapter tells HIM his real plan. He figured out any attempt to win the boys while they were still close to the Powerpuff Girls would fail, so he decided that step one would be to separate them and make the girls hate the boys and see them as the enemy. Then step two would be way easier.

Of course, what HIM plans if he succeeded in separating the two pairs of superheroes is still up in the air.

* * *

To **John,**

 _What a great chapter._

Thank you.

* * *

To **William F Somebody,**

 _What a chapter! The kids are looking for their missing teacher, and in the process, got to have some playing and bonding time with the girls._

 _The boys and girls really are becoming closer and closer to each other!_

 _But what does HIM want? What would he require of the boys? Hope it doesn't involve hurting anyone._

 _Looking forward to more, Tonifranz._

Oh yes. The boys would do anything for their beloved Teacher. And the boys and girls are becoming very close!

This chapter answers what HIM really wants.


	6. II (VI) - The Second Task

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Powerpuff Girls. It is owned and created by Craig McCraken, and by Cartoon Network.

* * *

 **An Education From HIM**

Peace reigns between the Powerpuff Girls and Rowdyruff Boys. Even as the boys claims that they remain evil, they become close to their counterparts, becoming penpals and playmates to each other. Yet HIM watches, and vows to shatter their peace. Chapter 6. The RRB get to see their beloved teacher. HIM gives the boys their second task that threatened to break the peace with the PPG.

* * *

 **Book II (VI)**

 **The Tasks**

* * *

 **Chapter VI (XXV)**

 **The Second Task**

 _Please, please, leave a review. Thank you._

 _ **48 (237). Meeting Teacher**_

"Tell us what you want us to do," Brick asked respectfully.

HIM chuckled. Eager little fellows! Does he think he could always outsmart the evilest of evil! He'll show him! HIM is not someone to be trifled with!

"Could we talk to Teacher?" asked Boomer out of the blue.

And such cheek wasn't confined to their arrogant leader! Even the mild-mannered blond ruff had it! What was the world coming to when even the cruelest of cruel couldn't make those boys act politely towards their resurrector? Where was their gratitude for bringing them back to life? Granted, he committed a tiny and insignificant offense by kidnapping Ms. Keane, their beloved Tutor, but hey, they're evil! That shouldn't break the bonds of attachment.

But what's the harm? The boys were cooperative, after all, and it was his fault for not being more precise with his wording. And he still had two tasks for them to do.

"Very well," said HIM.

"Really?" asked Boomer.

"You have ten minutes."

"Two hours!" Brick demanded.

"Are you making demands of me?"

"No, a request."

"Request denied."

"Two hours"! Brick repeated, with an implacable look on his blood red eyes.

HIM wanted to punish him, but he just laughed at his audacity. _Oh Brick, you really are something! Very well, I'll play along._

"Twenty minutes."

"A hundred minutes."

"Thirty."

"Ninety."

"Forty-five."

"Seventy-five!"

"One hour, and not a minute more."

"Done!"

"Very well then," said HIM, laughing. _What pieces of work you three are,_ he thought. _I do wonder, how Mojo keeps you in line?_

* * *

…

Brick gave a sigh of relief. He was still deathly afraid of HIM, but he knew HIM well enough that signs of independence and audacity would not enrage him too much. Instead, he's fond of it, to make his puppets think they have a little freedom. HIM valued such displays rather than outright servility. Besides, Brick knew that HIM wanted the boys to do the second task. So, what was a little visit to their Teacher?

HIM waved his giant lobster-like claws, and suddenly, the three boys found themselves inside a room in a little house. They were in a spacious living room, with couches, tables, electric lights, soft red carpets, various antiques on the shelves as decorations. Everything a modern home would need, except electronic devices like television or radio.

In fact, it looked like the house of Ms. Keane!

But it wasn't the home that fixed his attention. No, it was the woman in a white floor-length sleeveless dress, with pearls around her neck, with dark hair and blue eyes.

"Ms. Keane!" all three boys shouted, and they hugged her.

"Boys! Brick, Boomer, Butch!" she said, hugging them in return, tears falling from her eyes. "I thought I'd never see you three again!"

"How are you? How is HIM treating you?" asked Brick, feeling very concerned.

"Yeah. If that creature hurt you one bit, why I'm gonna—" Butch angrily declared.

"He didn't hurt me," said Ms. Keane.

"So tell us what happened?" asked Boomer.

…

* * *

 _ **49 (238). Storytelling Time**_

Ms. Keane looked at her three students.

"Well, remember when you called me last time?" she asked.

"Every second of it," said Brick.

"A few minutes later, HIM came, and said—"

"What did he say? What did he say?" Boomer interrupted.

"As I was saying, he demanded—"

"What? HIM can't demand anything of you! That's rude, and—" Butch interrupted.

"Please don't interrupt me!" she snapped, going into teacher mode, and at once, the three boys came to attention.

"Sorry, Teacher," Butch said sheepishly.

"As I was saying, he demanded that I tell you to leave Mojo Jojo, and come back to HIM."

"What?" Brick nearly shouted, outraged.

"Yes. I refused, of course. You chose Mojo Jojo. And you don't like to go back to HIM. That much was clear to me. And so, he threw me into this world."

"Go on," said Brick.

"Won't you have some hot choco or some snacks? This is a long story!"

"Would we? Yes!" Boomer shouted.

Ms. Keane smiled, and she went to the kitchen. She returned a minute later carrying a tray filled with cookies, sandwiches, and hot mugs of hot chocolate drinks.

As the boys ate and drank, she resumed her narration.

"I fell into the black hole. I screamed. I screamed as I had never screamed before. I thought I was going to die. I saw my life flash before my eyes. All I can see was black. It was too much that I thought it was going to envelop me, to overwhelm my senses. All I can hear was the incessant laughing of HIM, mocking me as if I was a helpless damsel. Well, at that moment, and I suppose, right now, I am a helpless damsel."

She paused, looked at the three boys, and they were entranced.

She continued. "It continued like that. I don't know how long, but eventually, I landed. I landed here. At first, I thought that I was back home. But something was missing. There were no TV, radio, or any other modern conveniences. There were no telephones either. But there were electric lights, and there was a warm shower. There was a refrigerator that somehow automatically restocks food. And there were old magazines all around. And there were clothes in the closets, although no modern ones. All belonging to the last century, or, I think. At first, I decided just to not change clothes, but after I showered, my old clothes disappeared, so I had to change to old-fashioned ones, like the one I'm wearing now. But that was just inside the house."

"Inside? How about outside?" asked Brick.

"Are you finished with your snacks?" she asked, looking at the empty trays and empty cups.

"We are!" Brick said, speaking for himself and his brothers.

"Let's go outside," she said. She stood up and walked to the front door. She led the boys to the front yard, and the boys gasped at what they saw.

There was a large yard, with a well-trimmed lawn. A doghouse was beside the fence, but without an occupant. There was a shed. Around the yard were a couple of streetlights to illuminate the ground.

But beyond the white picket fence surrounding the place…

Was nothing.

Mere blackness.

The boys flew to the edge.

"There's nothing in there," she said. "I dropped a coin in that black void, and I never heard a sound. You could probably guess what's in there. And no, please don't try to go down. I'm not sure you could come back."

They looked at the sky above. It was pitch black. It was worse than the blackest night in the world, for there were no stars, or moon, or even the dark violet shade of the night sky.

It was just pitch black.

"I'm afraid," Boomer said.

"It's terrifying," Ms. Keane agreed. "That's why I rarely go out."

"So how do you spend your time?" asked Butch.

"Reading magazines. Reading books. This house has a big library. And the books were the latest. I made a new lesson plan for this school year, and also for your tutorials," she said. "And I did some housekeeping. I think I did more household chores during the past three days than I did my entire life."

"Wait! Did you see us two days ago? We saw you. HIM showed you. We tried to rescue you. We failed," Brick asked.

"Yes, I saw you. I was directed by a strange voice to go the edge of the lot, at the white fence, and saw you at a distance. I can't hear you, but you were shouting. And you tried to fly here, but no matter how hard you tried, you never ever came close."

"That's right."

"But how did you arrive here? Why are you here?" she asked.

…

* * *

 _ **50 (239). Teacher's Proposal**_

Brick then told her the story of the past three days. He told her everything. He even told her about the theft and showed her the blue diamond.

She was shocked, and she was touched. Her boys really cared for her for them to do all those things just to have her back. But she was concerned. What they were doing might break their fragile relationship with the Powerpuff Girls. True, they did not swear to uphold all laws all the time, and technically, they did not break the peace, but she didn't think the Powerpuff Girls would make that distinction if they knew. Especially as they would be forbidden to tell what's really going on.

"Still, I don't get it. If he wanted us to reject Mojo, how could stealing a diamond or committing crimes help? I mean, it made us closer to Pops!" Brick argued.

"I'm not so sure, but I have a theory. Perhaps breaking your relationship with the Powerpuff Girls is only the first step. You'd be more vulnerable to HIM if you're all alone, without the girls," she explained.

"What? Who does he think we are? We're not dependent on those sissies!" Brick indignantly asserted.

"Yeah. Who needs those Power sissies?" Butch agreed.

"Not us!" Boomer answered.

Ms. Keane shook her head. Of course, the boys would be offended by the idea that they would be weaker without the Powerpuff Girls.

"True. But remember this. We need those girls to leave you alone so you can plan in peace to conquer the world. If you break the agreement, they become your enemies, and there's a good chance you'd lose the next fight."

"I know," said Brick. "That's the reason we don't want to break the agreement. Not that we'll become weaker."

"Look, boys, I know you care for me a lot, but, but, don't do things that you'd later regret just because you want to save me. Don't wreck your relationship with the Powerpuff Girls just for me."

"Ms. Keane, we will do everything we can to save you and maintain that agreement," said Brick. "But if we have to choose between the girls and you, we'd choose you. And that's not negotiable."

"I know. But I know you'll a find a way," said the teacher.

"We'll find a way, don't worry," said Boomer. "We have you, and we have Pops!"

"And you have the Powerpuff Girls too," said Ms. Keane. "Remember that."

"We won't forget," said Brick, though his tone was non-committal.

"By the way, since you're here," she said, shifting topics, "if we all survive this thing intact, I have a proposal. Are you listening?"

"We're all ears," said Brick.

"What if, you two, merge?"

A lot of blank looks.

"What do you mean? We're three, not two. And what do you mean, merge? We're gonna fuse to form one individual?" asked Boomer, and the looks of Brick and Butch told her that they too were confused.

"I mean the Rowdyruff Boys and the Powerpuff Girls."

"Why?"

"Well, you are now acting as superheroes. But you do so separately. It depends, these days, on the whim of the Mayor on who will fight who. However, I think it is better if you become one team instead. You three will be teammates with Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup."

All three looked at their teacher, and at each other, and burst out laughing.

"That's a good one, Ms. Keane!" Boomer shouted.

"For a moment there, we thought you were serious!" said Brick between fits of laughter.

"You sure are a good joker!" Butch added.

Ms. Keane was peeved. She never expected such a serious matter to be treated as a joke.

"Boys, I'm serious!" she insisted.

That only made the boys laugh louder.

"You can't be serious! I mean, us and the girls working together?" Brick said. "That can't work."

"Yeah. We're evil! And they're good. We're boys, and they're girls. There's nothing common between us!" Boomer agreed.

"Yeah. We don't like the girls, and they don't like us!" said Butch.

"Boys, I'm serious. Now stop laughing, and listen to me."

The boys stopped, seeing as their teacher was deadly serious.

"Boys, you should really consider teaming up with the girls, because—"

"TIME'S NEARLY UP!" HIM suddenly said. "You've got one minute to say your goodbyes."

* * *

 _ **51 (240). HIM's New Task**_

Brick was relieved. He was not in the mood to listen to a lecture of why he should join the girls. But he was, at the same time, sad that he would part with his teacher. He would miss her, even if it were only for a day. And it would be so bitter to leave her alone in this… place.

He quickly hugged his teacher and said nothing. Just held her as tight as he dared. And his brothers did too.

And he felt her hands around them. They were clutching each other in comfort. And he could feel something wet drop on his hair. He looked up. Tears were falling from her eyes. Yet she was silent.

And then it came.

"TIME'S UP!" the lobster-like monster announced, and then, reality bent, as their teacher disappeared from his grip, and he found himself inside HIM's domain.

…

* * *

They were back in Hell, a more familiar place, the place where they resided when they were dead.

"Well, aren't you going say something?" HIM said in his low scary voice.

"I also speak for my brothers, when I say this. Thank you, HIM, for letting us visit Ms. Sandy Keane," Brick said.

"See? I take good care of her," HIM said. "You don't need to worry about her welfare. Now it's time to tell you what I want you to do. Here is your second task!"

All three boys listened intently.

"You are to commit a crime…"

 _Oh not again!_

"Against the Powerpuff Girls! And like before, not an insignificant crime, like littering or such. And they must know that a crime was committed against them! No secret crimes! And you cannot tell them that you are committing crimes because of me or to save your teacher. Or tell anyone else to tell the girls for that matter. They must not know, for any reason coming from you, directly or indirectly, that you are doing it to save your beloved Teacher. So no telling others to tell the Powerpuff Girls what's really happening. And no telling to tell someone to tell someone to tell someone who will tell the Powerpuff Girls, got it?"

Do a crime against the Powerpuff Girls? How could they do that without breaking the agreement?

"That's all?" asked Brick with false bravado.

"Yes. That's all. See you in two days!"

After that, the surroundings spun, and after a minute of dizziness, they found themselves back in the living room of their home.

"I don't know about you, but let's sleep on it," Butch suggested. "I'm too tired to think of anything."

"Me too," Boomer agreed. "We have two days, anyway."

"Yes. I'm bushed!" Brick said, yawning. At that point, his brain refused to work, so he directed his brothers to brush their teeth, wash their faces, change into their pajamas, and go to bed. Usually, Mojo would have done such parental work, but that night, they stayed way past their usual bedtime to see Ms. Keane, and thus, their father was already asleep.

As he went to bed, all that Brick could think about was how to rescue Ms. Keane and the memories of their best times together.

…

* * *

 _The next day, August 11, 2005, Thursday…_

"What happened last night?" Mojo Jojo asked as he looked down from his paper that morning.

It was about seven in the morning. The boys woke up very early despite the late hour at which they went to bed the previous night. Brick did not sleep in since he needed time to figure out how to do the second task of HIM. He also woke up his brothers, so all of them could talk about their strategy with their father.

"It's a long story," said Boomer.

"I've got the time. It's not as if I am not the boss of my own work," said Mojo, who, by the tone of his voice, was very curious.

Brick then told his father the events of the night before, omitting nothing.

* * *

 _ **52 (241). What to Steal?**_

…

"So you see, Pops, we really need to find a way of committing a significant crime against the Powerpuff Girls without breaking the agreement."

Mojo Jojo was silent as the chimpanzee stared into space.

"Well, Pops?" asked Brick after a long silence.

"How dare that HIM? Does he think that our father-son bond was so dependent on your relationship with the Powerpuff Girls? That with your agreement severed and the girls your enemies, our family, could easily be torn asunder? That is, we would be broken up, you'd repudiate me, your creator, your true father! Just so that after all that, in spite of all that happened, you would, like sheep, go back to your so-called father who isn't really a father, but an imposter, who just happened to bring you back to life for his own selfish purposes?" Mojo ranted. "I am tempted to let you break your Powerpuff Agreement and make the girls your enemies once more just to show that you and I are inseparable, that our bonds are mightier than the strongest chemical compound, and that he is nothing but a family interloper!"

"Really?" asked Boomer.

"Not really. You have a destiny, a glorious destiny in front of you, that could only be fulfilled if you are at peace with the Powerpuff Girls at this very moment. The time for breaking the peace with those accursed girls is when you are ready to conquer the world when you grow up, and not a second sooner!" he said. "I have an idea. Why don't you just steal something from the girls? Do another perfect crime, and you won't be found out. They'll find out that something was stolen, of course, but they won't know it was you."

"Yes, yes, that's it!" Brick said, agreeing with his father.

"We're gonna be the best thieves there ever was!" Boomer said.

"But what are we gonna steal?" asked Butch. "I know. How about we steal some of their dresses?"

"That's not significant!" Mojo said. "They've got dozens of those. Steal one, and it won't be missed. They won't even know that it was stolen."

"How about Big Bad Wolf's big red bow?" asked Boomer. "That will surely be missed! It's so big!"

"No. She has hundreds of them! She won't miss missing a single one of them!" said Mojo.

"What can we steal that's something they'll miss?" said Brick. "She has lots of books. She'll miss it. But I have something else planned for those books. How about Bubbles?"

"Well, there's Octi," said Boomer. "Princess always talks about her Octi. She'll surely miss it."

"Boys, boys, I'm sure that's all nice and dandy, but you forget one thing. Those things might be valuable to the girls, but do you think that HIM would think that it's valuable or significant? He'll just throw it away as worth nothing!" Mojo said, dashing their hopes. "So what if you steal Bubbles' Octi? To HIM, it's just a worthless stuffed animal."

"You're right," he said. He tried to recall the things that he saw during their stay at the Powerpuff Home.

"How about we steal the things in the Professor's lab?" Butch suggested.

Brick remembered all those fancy gadgets when they rescued Boomer from the containment ray back when they were openly evil.

"That would be nice if it weren't for the fact that those things weren't owned by the Powerpuff Girls, but by their father, Professor Utonium," Mojo pointed out. "If you did that, you would not be committing a crime against the Powerpuff Girls, but only against Professor Utonium!"

* * *

 _ **53 (242). Bank Robbery**_

Suddenly, Brick's watch rang.

Brick pressed a button, and said, "Yes, Mayor?"

"Thank God for answering, Brick!" said the Mayor of Townsville. "Hurry! The First National Bank is being robbed!"

Brick sighed. "We'll resume this later. Rowdyruff Boys! Time to blow off steam. Let's make those robbers really suffer!"

"Yeah!" both his brothers yelled.

"See ya later, Pops!" Brick said, and the three boys flew towards the city.

…

* * *

They arrived at the scene of the crime. Police cars surrounded the bank.

"What's happening?" Brick asked as soon as they arrived.

"Hello Rowdyruff Boys," Police Chief Hiddledee said, his voice betraying his disappointment that it was not the Powerpuff Girls who had arrived. Brick ignored that. They will soon learn to cheer, and even admire, the Rowdyruffs. "There are about four. They are holding the cashiers as hostages."

All three boys turned on their x-ray visions. There were four masked men, and about ten young female employees, all bound and gagged. One of the masked men had a gun pointed at the employees.

"WE HAVE SURROUNDED YOU!" said the police chief through his megaphone. "Surrender."

"Never! If you want to see the hostages alive, you better let us run with the loot!" the robber who the police had assumed was the leader shouted back.

"This standoff had been going on for a quarter of an hour now," he said.

"Don't worry. We'll take care of it. And we promise that no innocent person will get hurt. Nothing's gonna get damaged that wasn't already damaged," the ruff leader assured.

"What about the bank robbers?"

"I cannot make promises for their safety," the red-eyed boy said.

"Just don't do anything rash," said Chief Hiddledee.

"Ready, boys?" Brick asked.

His two brothers eagerly nodded.

"I'm in a bad mood," said the leader as they flew high in the sky, "so I want them to suffer. Make them pay, but don't kill them."

Both brothers sported wide grins.

"I'm gonna love the violence!" Butch exclaimed with delight.

"Maim them for life!" said Brick. "Make those crooks fear the name of the Rowdyruff Boys."

"Yeah!" said Boomer, as they landed on the roof of the bank, undetected.

"But first, make sure the hostages are secured. Boomer, you're the fastest. Could you do that?"

Boomer nodded.

"Now!" said Brick.

…

* * *

The blond ruff went inside the building through a window on the top floor. He found himself in an empty office devoid of humans—he guessed that all the employees were tied-up downstairs. It was easier to track down their hostages that way instead of hiding them in different rooms.

He activated his x-ray vision and looked downstairs. The hostages were all behind the counter—about ten young female tellers and cashiers, a middle-aged bank manager besides the giant safe putting piles of money on bags held by another robber.

He used his superspeed to go to the vicinity of the robbers and captives. With one quick motion, he used a highly concentrated laser eye beam on the hand and gun of the robber guarding the employees.

And the gun melted in the hands of the masked man.

There was a loud scream as molten metal burned the gloved hand of the robber, which put a smile of the blonde ruff's face—being evil was so much fun—which was ended when Boomer shot another concentrated beam into his shoulder—it put a hole the size of a small marble clean through. Luckily, the heat of his laser cauterized the wounds, so there was no bleeding. Though such was the pain, the blue ruff guessed, that the criminal passed out, which put a frown on the blond's face. He loved it when they suffered.

The scream was the signal, and both his brothers were with him a second later. The robber with the gun pointed at the bank manager promptly got his hands broken by Butch. And a sickening punch later, the bones of the legs of the same masked man was shattered into a thousand pieces as he foolishly tried to kick the green ruff.

The third robber pointed his weapon at the boys, but Brick shot him with an intense laser—not strong enough to kill, but strong enough to elicit a powerful scream, and that burnt the outfit of the robber. A second later, and Brick buried his fist on his stomach, and the robber coughed blood and fell. He was not dead, but Boomer guessed, he might have wished he was.

Luckily for the robber, Brick was contented with merely breaking both his wrists.

The three boys then faced the final robber.

"Don't come closer!" he said, knees shaking, his hand clutching his M-16 rifle, pointing it at the boys.

The boys just smiled and walked closer.

He fired his weapon.

And the bullets bounced harmlessly off their bodies, to the floor.

"Who are you?" he shouted.

"We're the Rowdyruff Boys," Brick said icily, and at once, the fear was palpable in the robber's grey eyes. "We're the newest superheroes!"

"Superheroes my foot! You're evil!" he said in horror. "You deliberately maimed them!"

"Evil? Yes, we are," said Brick as he slowly advanced, his red eyes boring unto his target.

"And yes we did maim them on purpose," Butch agreed. "And it's your turn."

Their reputation preceded them, as he threw his weapon, and knelt in front of the boys. "Please don't hurt me! I beg of you! I won't do crime anymore! Please!"

"You won't," said Brick, grabbing him by the collar. He tossed the robber to Butch. "Bring him to the cops. Boom, untie the captives."

* * *

 _ **54 (243). Rowdyruff Adulation**_

Boomer did as he was told and untied the employees, who all looked scared not only of the robbers but at the boys because of what they had just witnessed.

"Rowdyruff Boys," said the bank manager after he recovered, still rattled, "thank you."

"Anything stolen?" asked Brick.

"Everything's here."

"Listen," he said, his red eyes looking at all the frightened employees. "This set of robbers won't be robbing anyone anytime soon. Even if they beat the rap. You, and all of the banks, and your money, I pledge, as a Rowdyruff, will be safe. I am sorry you have to suffer at the hands of those monsters, and I am sorry you had to witness what we did. But they needed to learn a lesson. We could be cruel. And sometimes evil, but only to those who deserve it."

Boomer witnessed the power and charisma of his brother. Despite the carnage the bank employees saw, they were utterly entranced by Brick as he spoke. His voice, despite its roughness, was like honey, and it's tone, measured. And his red eyes! His red eyes were very hypnotic! The bank Manager applauded, then the employees. Then they shook the hands of the Rowdyruff Boys and even hugged them.

"You're so great out there!" one teller said, all fear of the ruff gone from her eyes, and replaced with blind admiration.

"You showed them!" said a cashier in a mood of adulation.

"We need heroes like you!" said the bank manager, "heroes who value the lives of the victims more than the privileges of the criminals! I am in your debt. As long as you need anything, just call me. I'll do anything for you."

"And you are?" asked Brick.

"Jack Sheppard. I am due to be promoted to Bank President sometime next year."

"I'll remember that."

Several of the employees got pieces of paper, and the boys spent the next few minutes signing autographs, posing for pictures, and even getting kissed (on the cheeks) and hugged by the female employees.

It felt terrific being popular.

The police entered, and they were aghast at the three severely injured robbers.

"You! Who did this?" asked the Police Chief.

"We did. We're the Rowdyruff Boys!" Brick said as police swarmed in and began to call for ambulances.

"You can't do this!" the Police Chief said. "They could have been killed!"

"LISTEN!" Brick shouted, and once again, attention was upon him, and all the police officers were looking at him.

" _I am Brick, leader of the Rowdyruff Boys_! What we did, we have _no regrets_ , for those who break the law by robbing a bank deserve what they got!" he began, and his red eyes bored through each and every one, his charisma and presence dominating everything despite the small frame of his seven-year-old body. "I admit, I could be cruel and evil, but only to those who deserve it! You police, by law, could not do what we did. Otherwise, you would be in trouble. Every day, you toil, you work hard, you sweat, just so the city will be safe. And what do you get in thanks? Why you are carped on when even a little hair of those vile criminal scum was put out of place. _Well, that is not fair_! You deserve to be praised, to be lauded, to be put on a high pedestal, _you bravest and finest of Townsville_ , the members of Townsville Police Department."

He paused, and the blond ruff noted approvingly that the police were hanging to every word, explicitly approving of the ruff leader.

"So let me do, on your behalf, what you cannot do but really wanted to do, that is, teach them a lesson, and show what ought to happen to criminals! I will take the blame if anybody complains of their treatment! Police of Townsville, _the best_ the city has to offer, please, I need you on my side on this! Will you support me, if only unofficially?"

The final plea was accompanied by Brick going in front of the police, his head slightly bowed, his countenance, humble.

And the officers cheered and shouted and applauded. They lifted him and his brothers on their shoulders. Even the Chief of Police Hiddledee, only critical a few minutes earlier, was wild in his support. "I am sorry to doubt you, Rowdyruff Boys," he said in an apologetic tone.

"Rowdyruff Boys! Rowdyruff Boys! Brick! Brick!" the police chanted, and the bank employees joined.

"Yeah, show the scum what they deserved!" one officer shouted.

"You will clean up the city!" another shouted.

"You ought to be Mayor, Brick!" another officer shouted, his eyes full of admiration of the Rowdyruff leader.

"Mayor? He ought to be President!" another one said in an adulatory tone.

"That's too small!" said another. "He ought to rule the world!"

"Don't worry. It's a shootout, and those robbers shot at each other, right?" one police officer said as they patted the red ruff on the back.

"Yeah. A shootout. You just stopped it and forced their surrender!" said another officer. "Three cheers for our leader, Brick, and three cheers for the Rowdyruffs!"

* * *

 _ **55 (244). The Perfect Thing**_

…

"That was great!" Boomer said as they flew through the city. People already admired them for their earlier heroics and sheer physical power. But Boomer had to admit—Brick's natural talents as a speaker, and his natural charisma enabled him to sway most crowds, no matter how hostile, to his side—and make a lot of them fanatical followers.

His voice was soft or loud depending on the situation. He had a natural talent to know how to raise or lower his voice, what to appeal to what kind of audience, and to sense the mood of a crowd, and how to change it to suit his purposes.

"Yeah! You held them in the palm of your hand!" Butch said. "And that violence! That was sweet! That robber won't be able to use his hands or feet for the rest of his life."

"But won't we get in trouble?" asked Boomer. "We didn't follow the law. Not that I didn't like it—the violence was exhilarating!"

"We did not swear to obey the law. We swore to keep the peace—so the town can't do anything to us," said Brick. "Besides, none of those robbers will file charges, or testify against us. If they do, let's just say they'll be going to receive another visit from vengeful Rowdyruffs! I'll let the prosecutor Mr. Practice let those robbers know the score. They'll admit to shooting each other. And you know the best thing about it?"

"What?" Boomer asked.

"They'll spread stories to other crooks. There would be rumors of what we actually did. And that would make us feared," said Brick, "among the criminal element of this city. Just one example, and that is all that is needed to keep the rest in line."

"They will crap their pants everything crooks see us! I'm glad the Girls didn't get a call on their hotline of theirs for that robbery!" Butch said. "Hopefully, the Mayor will call us next time a monster attacks."

"That's it!" Brick suddenly said, stopping mid-air.

He indicated his brothers to follow him, and they flew to the clouds above.

"What?" Boomer asked.

"I know what we'll steal from those Powerpuff Girls!" Brick declared.

"Well?" Boomer said, who was excited.

"The hotline! It's perfect! It's valuable! The girls would miss it and panic at its loss. And HIM knows it's valuable!" Brick declared.

"Oh yeah! Those sissies will cry like the sissies they are when they find out it's gone!" Butch agreed.

"Let's go the Pop's volcano top lab," said Brick.

…

* * *

"The hotline!" Mojo said, with a wide grin on his face. They were in his laboratory in the middle of Townsville Park, at the top of the volcano. "Of course! It's flawless! That was some great thinking, my eldest offspring who will be the future emperor of the world! And now, we must plan the grand theft! For make no mistake, swiping it would be tough, for their home is very well guarded, for obvious reasons. But fear not! I have been thinking about the very same problem."

"But we know that their security won't be working," said Brick. "When we went to dinner, Bubbles told us that it's under repair and won't be working for at least a week."

"Excellent! Excellent!" said the chimpanzee genius. "So the time spent playing that night, the night spent not telling me you're going to stay up late, was not wasted! But still, we have to find a time when they're not home. Since even if the security's disabled, you can't just take it, since you would get caught, and then, the girls will know you did it, and thus, wreck your agreement."

That put a damper on their plans. "We could do a stakeout, and wait until all four of them are out of the house," Brick proposed.

"Wait! The picnic! We were invited to join, and you said you'd think about it!" Boomer said. "Remember, during the dinner?"

"Yes!" Butch exclaimed. "When is it again? It's this afternoon, about three in the afternoon, right? Aw, does that mean we won't join it? I was looking forward to their cookies!"

"Maybe we will join them," said Brick. "After we pull off the theft. That way, we have a perfect alibi!"

* * *

 _ **56 (245). Preparations for the Picnic**_

…

 _Meanwhile…_

"I don't think that's enough," said Bubbles as she inspected the food for the picnic. They were in the kitchen, sorting out the food and helping their father pack the picnic basket.

"That's more than enough," Buttercup retorted as she helped the Professor pack the picnic basket. "It's the same as last time. And we had so many leftovers!"

"But last time, we don't have the Rowdyruff Boys!" said Bubbles, smiling. Silly Buttercup! Did her sister forget that they invited the boys to the picnic?

"And more likely, we won't have them," Blossom added. "They haven't said they'd come."

"They said they'll think about it. What if they decided they'll come?" Bubbles retorted. Sometimes, her sister was just so negative! Of course, they would come! It would not be nice if they didn't! And the boys were nice, right?

"Bubbles, saying they'll think about it is a polite way of saying no!" Blossom argued.

"No. Let's bring extra food. What harm would it do? Daddy?" she asked, looking at the Professor with her puppy dog eyes.

"Of course, we will! Better sure than sorry!" said the Professor, laughing.

Bubbles hugged her father and looked triumphantly at her sisters. Sometimes, it was as if she was the only one among them that really wanted the agreement, the relationship, with the Rowdyruff Boys to actually work! Buttercup totally misunderstood the boys! If only Blossom allowed them to play violent games with the boys, Buttercup would fit in with them like fish to water! And Blossom! Despite the letter writing, she seemed a little bit reluctant to play with them! Silly Blossom. _You can't make it work through letters alone!_

Like this picnic. She had to remind them that the boys will come. Not might! _Will_! Bubbles refused to believe that they won't! After all, she would be bringing her special cookies! And they'd be so happy. And the Professor really could whip up some food that little boys like to eat.

"Fine!" said Buttercup, opening the fridge, and getting more food. "But we'll have to bring more than one picnic basket."

"Oh, I've got that covered," said Bubbles, rushing to one of the cupboards, and getting a spare picnic basket. She had given much thought to it and had made the necessary preparations.

"Hopefully, it won't be too bad," said Blossom as she began to help Bubbles pack the second picnic basket.

"So what fun do you think we'll have?" asked Bubbles.

"Oh, I don't know. We'll eat. Knowing the boys, they'll want to leave after they've gotten their fill," said Blossom.

"Maybe we'll play games?" said Bubbles.

"Yeah. Perhaps they'll kidnap you again, Princess Bubbles!" Buttercup teased.

"It would be fun, but it's too late in the afternoon for that, and I need to go home by six," Bubbles replied as if it's the most normal thing in the world, then giggled as she said, "Who knows? Next time, maybe Brick will take you to his home and demand your books in exchange!"

…

* * *

They put the needed things in the car, and after checking that everything's locked, the Utoniums drove from their home.

But they got stuck in heavy traffic.

And the Professor's temper got short.

"Move! Move!" he shouted at the cars in front of him, as if his mere will would cause the traffic to disappear.

"Oh, my! What if they're already there, and they think we canceled?" Bubbles began to worry.

"Don't worry. They love your cookies too much for that!" Blossom comforted.

* * *

 _ **57 (246). Breaking In**_

…

"Just like clockwork!" Brick said as he looked at his watch. It was three in the afternoon, and they were high above the white Utonium suburban home. They were in black, the same outfit they wore during the diamond heist. All three of them wore masks and shades. And all of them had their x-ray vision turned on.

They had watched the girls and the Professor pack the picnic baskets.

"Are you sure they would be delayed?" Brick asked his father through his watch-communicator.

"Don't worry," Mojo Jojo assured. "They will be delayed. For I have made sure of it. I have disabled a vehicle on an intersection near the bridge. My scrambler giant laser hit a giant truck with an invisible particle ray that shut off his engine—permanently. There's now a line of traffic building up on the road that the Professor would need to pass through from his home to the center of the city and hence, towards the park surrounding the volcano where my lab is located, the place of their afternoon picnic. Thus, there would be heavy traffic, and the cars will barely move, and it would take a long time for them to arrive. A very long time. Long enough for you to accomplish your task, go home and hide their accursed hotline, and go to the outside of my lab and await them, and pretend that you have been waiting for ages for them to arrive."

"Okay. Butch, you remain here and follow the girls. But always stay at a distance. If they ever decide to go back, or if they would arrive faster than anticipated, call me."

"Okay, boss."

"Boomer, come with me."

"Right."

"Let's do this!" Brick said as they saw the Utonium family go inside the family car, and drive off.

"Pops! Now!" Brick commanded as he pressed his watch, and a small antenna emerged.

"Yes. Remember, after the diamond heist, I have modified your watch so it would direct and attract the invisible particle rays from my giant shrinking gun, and you would not have to catch it like volleyball," said the chimpanzee genius.

"Right," said Brick. "Only Boom and me. Butch would act as a look-out."

"Here goes," their father could be heard, and they saw, using their shades, the two beams shoot out from the volcano top observatory. The beam directly sought out the watches of the two Rowdyruffs and entered the watch through the antennae, and from the watch, straight to the boys through their wrists.

And both boys shrunk to the size of a fly.

"Are you sure all other securities were disabled? Not just the main one?" asked Brick as he and Boomer flew to the back door.

"I am sure," said Mojo. "I just shot it with my giant laser, the same giant laser that I used at the Museum!"

Both kids went in through the keyhole. It was just big enough, and they were just tiny enough, that they were able to fit, but only just. When they were inside, Brick said, "Pops, we would like to go back to normal size again."

"Okay, my sons," said the chimpanzee, and once more, two beams flew from the observatory. Using x-ray vision, the boys observed it fly through the sky, to the roof of the house, and enter through the chimney, then to their watches, and into their bodies.

They returned to normal size.

Brick took a quick look at the home. They were in the kitchen, a very modern type. There was the range, the stove, the cupboards, the white table. Somehow, despite having seen it during the dinner with the Powerpuff Girls, it gave off a different vibe when they were alone.

They floated to the living room, and up the stairs.

And they stopped outside the door of the Powerpuff Girls.

Boomer's gloved hand slowly twisted the knob.

It was locked!

No problem. "Pops, I need to shrink again!" Boomer requested.

And again, Mojo shot a beam that traveled through the air, through Powerpuff chimney, up the stairs, and into the watch, and into Boomer.

And Boomer shrank in size again into the size of a fly.

He entered the keyhole, and a second later, Brick heard a click, and the door was unlocked.

Boomer came out, and said, "Pops, bring me back to size."

"Fine," said Mojo, and after being hit by another beam, Boomer returned to normal.

Brick turned the doorknob, and it opened.

The redhead scanned the room. The pile of stuffed animals, the big bed with three colors, the bookshelves, with books titled _History of the World¸ Biography of Roman Emperors, Rise of Prussia,_ and _Wars of the World._ He really wanted to scan it, and browse it, and even steal it. But he knew Blossom saw him eye those same books when they were playing tea party, and she would immediately guess that it was him.

"Want to get those books?" Boomer asked in a very soft voice.

"Yes. Maybe I should borrow it when this is over?" he mused.

"Borrow? We don't borrow from them, remember? We're not friends," whispered Boomer. "Do it like I do! Kidnap Blossom and demand it as ransom!"

Yes. That was a good plan. It worked for his little brother, so it should work for him. But that was for the future. After all this madness was over. When he could play with the girls without any fear or worry for his Teacher Ms. Keane. He continued to scan the room. And finally came upon the hotline. That white and red phone with a smiling face.

He got a screwdriver and a small knife, from the tool belt that he wore for the purpose, and expertly, he removed all wires and connections to it. He put the phone in a small sack that he carried with him. The two sneaked out. They closed the door, and Boomer, after a call to Mojo, again became tiny and went into the keyhole, and locked the Powerpuff room door. They slipped out to the kitchen, and Boomer went to the keyhole and unlocked the back door.

Brick again had Mojo make him tiny. He would be damned if he would be seen by anyone. If there were nosy neighbors, all they would see would be a sack floating on its own, being carried, if they could actually see it, by tiny black fly-like creatures.

He carried the sack underneath him as Boomer opened the door. They flew out, and the blue ruff pulled the knob and closed it. He again went to the keyhole.

And there was a click. The door was again locked.

They flew to the cloud as fast as possible. The movement upwards was a blur to the ordinary eye. Fortunately, there was no one in the vicinity, so it went unnoticed in broad daylight.

It was only when they were in the clouds that they had Mojo return them to their normal size.

"Butch, give us an update!" Brick said on his watch as soon as they were back to normal.

"The sissies are still stuck in heavy traffic. They're not even close to the bridge."

"Good," said the leader. "Go home. We'll hide this and change."

"Roger!" said Butch.

"Pops, it's done! Butch said that the girls are still stuck in traffic," said the leader.

"Good. I'll now turn on the security of the Utonium home!" said the chimp genius.

The two ruffs flew as fast as possible, keeping to the top of the clouds to avoid detection from below.

* * *

…

 _ **58 (247). Stuck in Traffic**_

"Come on!" the Professor said, gritting his teeth. "Gah! Gosh darn it to heck!"

Bubbles sighed and guessed that if they, his daughters, weren't there, he would have said even stronger words. Words that she learned from the Professor himself when he touched the hot metal cooking pot. Words that they used profusely without knowing they were not supposed to use it. Words that led to their mouth being washed with soap by Ms. Bellum and the Mayor, and led to so much trouble (1), and which the Professor made them swear never to use again.

"Are we there yet?" Bubbles asked as the car barely moved.

"No. And I'm going to scream if this doesn't get going!" their father said in a calm voice, though the irritation and anger that were flowing beneath that calm exterior was evident.

"We should've been there hours ago!" Buttercup argued. "The food's getting cold."

"It's been forty-five minutes! We should have arrived half an hour ago!" Blossom said, looking at the car clock.

"The boys will think we're not going!" Bubbles said, sad. "If only we could fix this traffic."

Suddenly, a bright idea came upon her. She opened the door.

"Bubbles?" the Professor asked when the door was opened. It was quite safe, as the car was stationary, along with dozens of other vehicles on the road.

"I'm gonna see what's wrong," she said before flying off.

"Wait!" she heard, and Blossom and Buttercup behind her. She smiled.

"We should've done this an hour ago!" Buttercup muttered, approving of her action.

"Yes. The traffic is heavier than usual, so that's not normal," Blossom said, in a voice which clearly indicated that she's taking charge, which Bubbles was happy to oblige. Despite everything, the blonde knew she wasn't a leader like her eldest sister.

"Let's follow it and see what's wrong," Blossom commanded.

"Aye aye, Blossom!" Bubbles replied.

The three girls flew, following the road. Near the entrance of the bridge, at the intersection with another road, was an immobilized truck. The front hood was open, and the driver was looking at it with a puzzled look on his face, and a bunch of other people, who she guessed were other motorists who wanted to help so that they could get on with their road trips.

"So that's why!" Blossom said as they flew towards it.

"Hello, Mister!" Bubbles cheerily greeted.

"Hello Powerpuff Girls!" he said, his face smeared with dirt and his hand holding a wrench."

"What's going on here?" asked Blossom.

The driver began to explain. "I was in the intersection. Suddenly, right in front of the bridge, my truck died. I didn't know what happened. The gas tank's full, the batteries are charged, I've checked everything before I started this trip. This truck's brand new! I've trying to make heads and tails of what happened!"

"Yes," said one motorist. "I'm a mechanic, and I tried to help him to get the traffic going, but I can't figure out what's going on."

Blossom was deep in thought. "Well, we can't fix your truck. But we could put your truck besides the road, so the traffic can flow again," she suggested.

"That would be wonderful!" said the truck driver. "It's really embarrassing. I imagine more than a few folks out there want to kill my guts! Thank you!"

To the cheers of all, the girls carefully lifted the truck and placed it on the side of an empty road.

"Thank you Powerpuff Girls!" said the drivers as traffic began to flow like normal.

The girls flew back to their car just as it was about to move. They told the Professor what had happened, and he just laughed.

* * *

…

"What took you so long? You said you'd be here by three, and it's about four," said Brick, who was sitting on a bench in the park.

Boomer and Butch were chasing each other, apparently, in a game of tag, on the grass.

"Boys!" Bubbles shrieked happily as she saw them. She went to where they were, and they stopped whatever they were doing. "You came! And you waited for us!"

She came and hugged Boomer, who just blushed, and pulled away. "Ooh, not here!" he said in embarrassment.

"We wouldn't miss the free food," Butch said, his hand on his stomach, which growled just in time.

End of Chapter 6

As always, please do me a favor and review if you've read this chapter. Reviews really lighten my day and makes me very happy. Thank you very much for reading!

(1) See the season 6 episode "Curses".

 **Author's Notes**

To **RuffnPuffLover** ,

 _Wow! I'm surprised at how the boys handled that first task he cooked up and also killed 2 birds with one stone. Crimes that didn't disturb the peace and also ticked off HIM, genius! I wonder how that sinister devil will make it obvious that they did it though. That's got me in suspense! I can't wait for the next chapter to see what that task is! :)_

Yes, the boys are really acting smart, showing that they had learned the lessons that Ms Keane had thought them. And yeah, it was very clever and very brilliant for them to do that. And this chapter answers who HIM thought he would make it obvious. It didn't work, obviously, but there's still the third task.

To **Ash141,**

 _Lovely chapter!_

 _Man the boys sure are crafty, going to Mojo and blaming HIM for the theft was absolutely brilliant! HIM thinks he's so clever but the Boys will outsmart him every time._

Oh yeah. The boys have reached a point where they could no longer be easily outsmarted by villains such as HIM. And the boys would continue to do so unless HIM becomes really smart too!

 _Brick thinks if the Girls found out about what they're doing then they (cough*Blossom*cough) would no longer want to have a truce with them, but I think if they (Blossom) knew why they were doing it then they'd understand b/c they'd be doing it for someone they loved._

Yes, but the fear was what HIM would do to Ms. Keane if the Powerpuff Girls finds out. Obviously, the boys does not want to risk her life, so they needed to keep the entire thing a secret from the Powerpuff Girls.

 _The Boys (mostly Brick and Boomer) say they don't care about what happens to the Girls but I think if something really bad were to happen to them (get beaten really bad, loss of life, etc.) they would actually care, especially if it was to save them or someone they loved, dramatic sacrifices do seem to make people care more._

 _Anyway, great chapter! Can't wait for the next one! Until next time._

 _~Ash141_

Saying that they don't care, and not actually caring, are two different things. And yeah, the boys may or may not care for the girls in the future based on events. But right now, they cared for Ms Keane, and Ms Keane cared for the Powerpuff Girls, so that would inform their attitude towards the Powerpuff Girls.

To **DPSS** ,

 _You know, Him might have forbidden the boys from telling the girls, but he didn't forbid the boys from telling someone that could tell the girls._

Well, in the second task, he made it even more explicit, and less prone for loopholes, but as this chapter showed, not totally.

To **Blergblerg the one and only,**

 _Wow, I have finally fully caught up with this story and I have to say you have been doing an amazing job. I like how you've developed all the characters that have gotten involved in this story, and I mean that in both senses of the word, which is to say you have examined and extrapolated their underlying characteristics, and allowed them to change over time even Mojo Jojo!_

Thank you. And changing them into something different from what the show shows us is something of a goal, especially their low intelligence in the show. I really wanted them to be par with the PPG with everything, including in brains.

 _I particularly like how you've developed the strained, lopsided relationship with boomer and bubbles, i have a feeling that some other authors might have them instantly fall in love just for being counterparts while forgetting that she utterly humiliated and perhaps traumatized him earlier._

Oh yes. Boomer still cannot forget what the girls and especially Bubbles did to him in the episode "Bubble Boy". How that would affect his relationship with the girls will be dealt in the future.

 _Even butch seems to have mellowed out...slightly..over the course of this story, he certainly seems a little less reckless than he did at the beginning of this._

He still loves violence, but he is a little more restrained because of his loyalty and obedience to his eldest brother.

 _As for the involvement of HIM, you still managed to make him creepy and intimidating through text, a difficult feat in my opinions given the transition between mediums, I hope the boys find their way through this, he seems to have them over a barrel at the moment, but by kidnapping Miss Kean he has unwittingly made himself the target of the six most powerful beings in the world, not the smartest move on his part and im sure it'll eventually bite him in his crimson behind one of these days. Oh and I just want to say i love the additional worldbuilding you've done in your tales like having mitch become actively involved in the plot was a real treat for example, as its not to often in this show and fandom that unpowered humans, outside perhaps, the professor get to make significant contributions to the plot. You even brought back one time characters on multiple occasions, while recalling small past incidents in the show and ultimately giving them more meaning than the creators themselves have._

 _Overall, you have done a top-notch job, I only hope the girls find out about this, I'm waiting with baited breath to see what happens next._

Yes, HIM did make himself an enemy to both the RRB and the PPG. Not very smart. And yes, in this tale and in the previous ones, I tried always to use characters from the show, and I tried to refrain from using original characters, unless it is absolutely necessary and no other character in the show could fulfill that role.

And thank you!

To **John** ,

 _What a great and exciting chapter!_

Thanks again, for consistently reviewing!

To **William F Somebody,**

 _Now that was a clever plan! I can imagine HIM's face when he realized that he was outwitted and outsmarted by the boys! And the boys even had the audacity to blame HIM. And HIM can't do anything since technically, the boys followed his instructions to the letter!_

 _And I'm glad Mojo Jojo is become very very useful. His rivalry with HIM motivated him to try and thwart his plans._

 _Hope the boys remain smart and try to keep their peace with the girls and at the same time, save their teacher!_

Yes, the Rowdyruff Boys are a sneaky bunch of fellows. And yeah, Mojo is really getting a chance to shine in this fic. And the boys are trying their best to save their teacher and at the same time keep their agreement with the girls.


	7. II (VI) - Calm Before the Storm

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Powerpuff Girls. It is owned and created by Craig McCraken, and by Cartoon Network.

* * *

 **An Education From HIM**

Peace reigns between the Powerpuff Girls and Rowdyruff Boys. Even as the boys claims that they remain evil, they become close to their counterparts, becoming penpals and playmates to each other. Yet HIM watches, and vows to shatter their peace. Chapter 7. The Powerpuff Girls find out that their hotline is missing. Brick and Blossom meet in the library. HIM gives them the last task.

 **Book II (VI)**

 **The Tasks**

* * *

 **Chapter VII (XXVI)**

 **Calm Before the Storm**

 _Please, please, leave a review. Thank you._

 _ **59 (248). Inviting Mojo**_

Bubbles led the Rowdyruff Boys to her sisters and the Professor. They were setting up the cloth on the grass and putting the food on it.

"Wow! That's a lot of food!" said Brick, eyeing it with barely concealed hunger.

"Hello, Boys. I'm glad you can make it. And isn't your father working on the lab right this very minute?" the Professor asked.

"Yeah," said Brick.

"Why don't you invite him?" asked the Professor. "Since he doesn't have a boss, I'm sure he won't mind."

"Boomer, go and ask Pops!" Brick ordered.

"Right!" Boomer said and was about to fly when Bubbles raised her hand.

"I want to go too!" she said, and without a word, the two blonds flew to the volcano-top laboratory.

Boomer was about to enter the lab through the opening on the roof when he felt a soft hand on his shoulder.

"Don't!" she said sweetly.

"Huh?"

"Go to the door, silly! That's the proper way."

"But we go through here all the time," he explained. "And you too!"

"But only when Mojo's doing something evil. Let me tell you a story. One time, we were playing ball, and the ball entered the lab of Mojo. Instead of going through the opening, we used the door, and knocked!" she explained.

"But—" he began.

But Bubbles with her left hand grabbed his right hand and gently led him to the door by the stairs.

"You wouldn't want Ms. Keane to think that you have no manners, would you? Now knock," she said.

Since she still held his right hand, he knocked on the door using his left.

And a few seconds later, the door opened. "Can I help you? Ah, my youngest son and Powerpuff Bubbles!" the genius said upon looking at them, his eyes widening at the sight of them.

"Hello, Mojo. Well, I and the girls and your boys are having a picnic with the Professor. Would you like to join us?"

He looked at a distance and pointed to a couple of figures. "Is that them?"

"Yes, Pops!" said Boomer. "Would you like to come with us?"

"No. You go on ahead. I'll follow," said the chimpanzee.

"Okay!" said Bubbles, and she flew to the others, pulling Boomer behind him.

…

* * *

"He's coming!" said Bubbles as they arrived.

"Aw, ain't that sweet?" Butch snickered. "Holding hands, Boom! I thought you didn't like her!"

Boomer suddenly blushed and snatched his hand away from Bubbles. "I don't! She grabbed it, and I can't get it out!" he defended as he flew beside him, grabbed his shirt, and raised his fist.

Butch just laughed. It ended with Boomer punching him to the tummy. Butch continued to laugh though and kicked Boomer on the head when he recovered.

But the green ruff got the message, and said nothing more on the matter, though he still quietly snickered.

…

* * *

"How are you, Professor Utonium?" Mojo Jojo said as he arrived.

"I'm fine. How about you, Jojo?"

"Call me Mojo or Mojo Jojo. Jojo, it seemed, had been transformed from my first name, into a family name," said the chimpanzee. "Calling me Jojo would be like calling you Utonium."

"Okay. So how are you, Mojo?"

"I'm fine. This past few weeks have been very fulfilling. Retiring from active villainy is very relaxing, as it freed my mind from the need to constantly think of ways to destroy your daughters. Instead, my time is consumed by the need to decide which of my inventions would fetch me the most cash so I can patent it. I need to become rich to support my children, as well as prepare their future careers! They would need lots of cash to take over the world when they grow up, you know."

"I'm glad to hear that! Listen, have you read the latest issue of _Scientific American_? Have you heard of the latest theory regarding…"

And Bubbles tuned out as the two scientists began to engage in scientific talk.

…

* * *

 _ **60 (249). Feeding Boomer**_

"So, are we gonna eat?" asked Buttercup.

"You go on ahead, kids. Mojo and I have a critical discussion about the properties of the latest element synthesized," he said excitedly.

"Okay, let's eat," said Buttercup as she grabbed and took a bite off a sandwich. The other kids began digging in, and Boomer was about to grab a sandwich when Bubbles had a great idea.

"Hey, Boomie?"

"What, Princess?" asked Boomer without looking at her, his hand going to a sandwich.

Bubbles put her hands between the food and his hand. "Let me feed you."

"Huh?" he looked at her, bewildered. "What?"

The other kids stopped and began to listen in.

"I mean, you fed me the last time I ate at your home. It's only fair that I return the favor."

"You were tied up that time, Princess! Of course, I fed you, or you might starve and die," Boomer laughed. "And right now, I'm free, so I can feed myself."

"Please! You were so nice as a kidnapper, and I really want to make it up to you!" she said.

"Oh let her do it!" Brick said, trying to avoid laughing as he listened in.

"Don't, Boom! You'd be a bigger sissy if you do so!" Butch protested.

Between following the advice of Brick and Butch, it was no contest. Brick was the leader. "Oh alright," he conceded.

She gave a huge smile. "Oh thank you! I've wanted to do this ever since you did it to me," she said with a smile. "Now, put your hands behind you just like I did."

Boomer obeyed.

"What kind of sandwich do you want?"

"Oh that one, that ham sandwich," he said.

Bubbles took it and put it in front of his mouth.

He took a bite and chewed.

And it continued until he finished the sandwich.

"What do you like to eat next?"

"Am I not allowed to eat by myself?"

"Nope. Right now, I want you to pretend you're my captive, okay?"

"Oh okay," he laughed. "How about that apple?"

Bubbles got the apple and fed it to Boomer.

"One more!" he demanded as soon as he finished it.

And she happily did so.

"That's enough food, I think. What do you like to drink?"

"Aw, but I want to eat more!" Boomer whined.

"That's not healthy," she said. "Besides, you're supposed to be my captive, and captives cannot be choosy. So what do you like to drink?"

"How about orange juice?"

Bubbles got a bottle of orange, put a straw on it, and let Boomer drink from it.

After he finished his orange juice, she began to eat. Boomer then moved to grab another sandwich, but his hand was slapped by her.

"But I want to eat!"

"You can't grab the sandwich! You're tied up, remember?"

"I am?"

"That's why I'm feeding you, silly!" she giggled before taking another bite.

"So what are you gonna demand as ransom for Boom here?" Brick laughed.

Bubbles thought. What she really wanted was for Boomer to like her as she liked him, but she can't tell them that. "How about some of his storybooks?"

"Hey, I'm not really a captive!" Boomer protested, waving his hands as if to show he's not really a captive.

"Oh shut up! Unless you want to really be her hostage!" Brick laughed. "So do you have any titles in mind?"

"Oh how about _The Princess and the Pea?_ " she asked.

"Done! Wait here!" he said, and flew away.

Fifteen minutes, later, he returned with the Fairy Tale and gave it to Bubbles. "Thank you."

"Oh, I'm so grateful for ransoming, oh generous brother," Boomer, thick with sarcasm, said.

"You're free now," Bubbles said as she began looking at the book.

Boomer merely laughed as he grabbed more sandwiches.

Bubbles reflected as she ate an apple. She was thrilled. Everything was fine. She wondered what additional fun they could do next. Then a thought came to her mind.

"You know, Boomie," she began, "the Professor just bought me two new fairy tales! The first one is _The Golden Goose._ Have you read that one?"

Boomer's dark blue eyes looked at her, and said, "Haven't heard of it. What happened?"

"Why don't you borrow it?" she answered.

He frowned and shook his head. "I don't borrow anything from the Powerpuff Girls! We're still enemies, remember?"

"But you want to read my book!" she continued.

"Yes, and I'll—" he continued, then stopped his mouth, as a conspiratorial glint passed his eyes. "—get it somehow."

"Ooh! I'm scared!" Bubbles said, who knew exactly what he was thinking. The more mischief was planted in her brain, and she turned to Brick. "Oh and Brick, the Professor bought Blossom a couple of new books. One was _History of the World._ Another is the _Rise of the Roman Empire_ and a biography of Emperor Augustus."

Brick's red eyes widened and looked at Bubbles, "Oh really? You're kidding!"

She had him. "No, I'm not. Blossom, tell us about the new books the Professor gave you."

…

* * *

 _ **61 (250). A Challenge to Fight**_

 _Meanwhile…_

"Disgusting!" Buttercup said as she watched Boomer and Bubbles.

"It's funny!" Butch agreed, who wanted to laugh as he ate to his heart's content. What had come over his baby brother, the same brother who would fight the Baron of Berserk himself over little things? "And to think Boomer doesn't even like Bubbles!"

"What do you mean?" asked Blossom.

"We're enemies, right? We're evil, you're good, there's that! But don't tell them this, but Boomer still holds a grudge from when you took him and put him on the light ray thing, stripped him of his clothes, and when Bubbles pretended to be him," Butch said. "Boom's too nice to tell it to her."

"Oh, that old thing?" Blossom said. She began to snicker and started to laugh.

"That ain't funny!" Butch charged.

"Oh, it is! I remember that! Bubbles actually ate a cockroach!" Buttercup said, snickering. "And you were fooled."

"Yes, we were stupid back then!" Butch admitted. "And thanks to big brother, we're not anymore."

"Oh really? Big Butch thinks he's become smarter!" Buttercup teased.

" _Watch it_. Remember we beat you three in a fair fight using our brains, and we made the town think it's your fault!" Butch said, mouthing what Brick had been telling him since that day. "That was really smart of us!"

"Want to see how smart and strong you really are? Let's fight!" Buttercup challenged.

"I would if you're a real challenge," said Butch. "As I remember, you got easily beaten up by Brick."

"You're not Brick," said Buttercup.

"I'm not, but I'll kick your butt just the same," said Butch. "I'm the Baron of Berserk! And I am the toughest ruff. I have beaten Brick in a fight before." It was true. He did beat Brick once or twice, whereas Brick had beaten him for more than twenty or was it thirty times? More than he could count.

"Want a fight? Let's get it on!" Buttercup said, standing, eager for a fight.

Butch stopped his eating and stood up, and grinned, and put up his fists. "Prepare to suffer!"

"STOP!" Blossom nearly shouted, and came between the two greens. "We are in a truce! We're not going to fight each other! Not while I am the leader of the Powerpuff Girls!"

Butch backed down, snickering as he resumed his eating. He wasn't in a mood to fight. And after fighting Boomer and Brick so many times, he didn't think Buttercup would be a challenge since he knew that the girls didn't fight each other and thus, would not have the relevant experience. It wouldn't be worth his time.

"Don't be such a killjoy, Red!" Buttercup said. "It's just a fight."

"No, it's not just a fight! It's something wrong! We don't fight each other because if we do so, we hurt each other!" Blossom said, her tone adamant. "It's morally wrong to hurt each other just for fun."

"Fine!" said Buttercup, sitting down and resuming her meal.

"And you, Butch, I don't want you to fight with my sisters, okay?" Blossom warned.

He looked at the pink puff. How dare she dictate what he could or could not do? "Wouldn't want to waste my time on it," he said, sincerely. He didn't want to have a fight with the girls over this matter since they were supposed to be at peace. And besides, what could the girls offer him in a match that his brothers did not? And right now, his mind was on his teacher. So he wouldn't be able to focus on a fight, even a friendly battle, with any of the Powerpuff Girls.

…

* * *

 _Meanwhile_ …

Blossom was glad that she squelched the threat of a fight! Really! They were not enemies anymore, no matter how much the boys pretended that they were! Why can't they just admit the truth? Why can't they just admit that they really became good and were good friends with them?

Because of their pride. They wouldn't admit they were wrong about anything.

"No, I'm not. Blossom, tell us about the new books the Professor gave you," Bubbles suddenly asked.

Blossom was glad to talk about something else. "Oh, they're wonderful. _A History of the World, Rise of Rome_ , and a biography of Augustus! And not only the contents! But the paper's so shiny! There are detailed maps, the pictures were all authentic, and it's so beautiful!"

She saw Brick listen very intently, then said after she was done, "Very interesting."

"Do you have such a book?"

"Me? Not at the moment," he said as he grabbed an orange. "I'm surprised the Professor would buy you such books."

"Oh he recently got a lot of money from one of his inventions," said Blossom, detecting envy from her counterpart. "And if you're planning to buy a copy, you're out of luck. It's an advanced copy. You would have to wait for some months. The publisher knows the Professor, and we saved his life once, so it was a favor for us."

He shrugged. "I'll get it," he said before he put a piece of orange in his mouth.

She had no doubt he would be begging to borrow the books soon enough, and she was thinking of what to ask in exchange. It was fun making her counterpart envious! If made her feel so superior to him.

* * *

 _ **62 (251). The Hotline!**_

...

"I have an announcement!" said the monkey.

"I want to show Mojo Jojo some of my latest findings. So he's going to the lab, and it might take long into the night. So we're inviting you to dinner!" the Professor said.

"Really?" said Bubbles, a big smile forming on her face.

"Yes," said the Professor.

* * *

…

Brick wanted to curse his father. They were in Mojo's car, following behind the Professor's car. Why did he agree to stay for dinner? The leader was riding shotgun, and his brothers were behind him, Boomer on the left, Butch on the right.

"Why, Pops?"

"I am simply interested in the Professor's latest discoveries. You wouldn't understand, but it's a scientist thing. He is doing some research on something I'm looking at the moment, and maybe his insights might help me with my own research," said the chimpanzee.

"But we stole their hotline! It's going to be pandemonium!" said Butch.

"You are right, my middle son who is also the Baron of Berserk!" Mojo said. "But think of the advantages."

"Oh I get it!" said the leader. "There would be less suspicion on us if we're there."

"Correct! I don't think I would be able to get anything after what will happen in that house, but at least it diverts suspicion from us," Mojo said as they arrived at the Utonium home.

The Professor parked his car in the garage, and Mojo parked his vehicle just outside it. The Utoniums entered the house as the Jojos left their vehicle.

"Oh come in, come in!" said John Utonium.

"Oh we're going to have so much fun!" said Bubbles. "I want to play tea party!"

"We just ate snacks," Blossom pointed out.

"But not her special cookies," Buttercup retorted.

Brick kept a neutral face. He was not overenthusiastic about coming over. In fact, even if he had not stolen the hotline, he still would not like coming over, as it would imply that he and his brothers were friends with their mortal enemies, the Powerpuff Girls. Yes, no matter what happened, they were enemies.

The girls entered first, followed by the Professor, then Mojo, then the boys.

The Professor took Mojo into his lab, saying to the kids, "Have fun!"

"Yes, we will!" Bubbles said. "So what are we gonna do? If we're not going to play tea party."

"I don't know," said Blossom, eyeing the boys. "There are other things I would like to do, but we cannot since we have boys."

Brick wished somebody would go up to their room and discover that their hotline was gone. At least it would remove the awkwardness.

"I know! We could play pretend!" said Bubbles.

"Like what?" asked Boomer.

"Hey, I know! Let's play library!" the blonde girl suggested.

"What do you mean? We'll just pretend to read? That's boring!" Buttercup said.

"No, no. The boys will pretend to be the ghosts of the library, we'll pretend we're gonna investigate, and they'll clonk us in the head!" she said.

Now that was the game he was in favor for since it brought back memories when they really pretended to be the ghosts of Townsville Library.

"That really is a very nice idea!" said Blossom. "If the boys are up to it, then I'm in."

"That's fine," said Brick.

"Count me in!" said Boomer, giggling at the prospect.

"Fine," said Buttercup. "But could I fight the ghosts back?"

"Of course not! You would change history if you did that!" said Blossom. "Now, who's gonna play the library manager?"

"I'll play it," said Brick.

"And who's gonna play the guards?"

"Me and Boomer," said Butch, "when we're not ghosts."

"How about the sheets?" asked Brick.

"Oh, I'll take care of it!" said Bubbles, and she flew up into their room.

Three.

Two.

One.

" _GIRLS! THE HOTLINE!"_

Bingo! Brick really wanted to smirk, but that would give the game away.

"What? I didn't hear it ring!" shouted Blossom.

"It's gone! Somebody stole our hotline!" the blonde shouted from upstairs.

Blossom and Buttercup rushed upstairs, but the boys remain rooted in their spots, unwilling to go upstairs and do anything to give suspicion.

…

* * *

 _ **63 (252). The Investigation**_

Blossom stared at the small table with lots of disconnected wires. The hotline. Where was it? Was it stolen? Of course, it was. When they left, it was there. But how? Or why?

"PROFESSOR! DADDY!" she shouted out of instinct, and a minute later, she heard heavy feet and the door opening.

"What's happening? The hotline!" she heard him say as he went in and looked at the empty table.

"It was here when we left," Buttercup said as the Professor began looking around.

"Let's call the police," he said. "Don't disturb the evidence."

They went downstairs, where Mojo and the boys were waiting. Mojo had an unreadable expression, and the boys—she really couldn't read their faces. It's as if they were in deep thought. Probably about their schoolwork with Ms. Keane, Blossom concluded.

She sighed. She, as leader of the Powerpuff Girls, needed to inform them of what had happened.

"The hotline. It's been stolen," she announced.

"The hotline? Who did it?" asked Brick.

"We don't know," the puff leader replied. "The Professor is going to look at the security cameras."

"What a time for the state of the art security to be in need of repair," Buttercup sighed.

"State of the art?" Boomer asked.

"You know, the same one where you get tied up if you got in without being entered into the computer?" Bubbles answered.

"Oh right! You told us it was being repaired," said Boomer.

"But we have other security features," said Blossom. "Hopefully, the cameras will catch who it was."

…

* * *

The door opened, and the police entered, with the Chief of Police coming in first. "We heard what happened, and since you're the Powerpuff Girls, this requires the personal attention of the Chief of Police," he said.

"Thank you," said Blossom.

"No, thank you. It's an honor to help the Powerpuff Girls. And Brick!" he shouted as he spotted the red ruff. "Oh let me shake your hands! Please!"

Blossom was surprised as the Chief of Police, and all the other policemen looked upon the leader of the Rowdyruff Boys with admiration bordering on adulation. "I never did properly thank you for how you handled the last bank robbery. That was masterful!"

After he shook his hand, the other police officers lined up in a que, eager too to shake his hand.

"Just showing them what they deserve. It's best that they fear us at the beginning. That way, they'll know just what to expect if they get caught," said Brick.

"What's going on here?" asked Buttercup.

"Oh the Rowdyruff Boys, they were so wonderful in the bank robbery!" said another police officer. He turned to the leader of the boys. "I wasn't there, but when I heard, I nearly wept with joy! You did what all of us wanted to do to those vile criminals, but can't!"

"Huh?" asked Bubbles.

"We can't tell you what they did, exactly, but it was glorious!" another officer said. "Let's just say that the Rowdyruff Boys caused the robbers to fight each other and shoot at each other, and they maimed each other for life. No one else was hurt."

There was a lot of snickering and rolling of eyes from the others that Blossom observed, but it wasn't directed at the boys. When they looked at the Rowdyruff Boys, it was something bordering on hero worship, something that they only showed to the Powerpuff Girls before.

And that mystified the Pink Puff. What could the boys do that the girls couldn't that could win such admiration and respect?

"So are you here to help in the investigation?" asked the Chief of Police.

"No. We were actually invited to dinner," he said. "We were here when they found out."

"Would you do us the honor by helping us find out who did it?" the Chief of Police asked.

"I have to decline. I'm sure you can do it on your own without Rowdyruff help," Brick replied in an apologetic tone.

The chief of police turned to the girls, and said, "Girls, you can't imagine how lucky you are to have the boys as superheroes too!"

…

* * *

 _Later…_

"So what do we know?" asked the Chief of Police three hours later as all of them congregated around the living room.

"Nothing," said the Professor. "The security cameras went haywire and recorded nothing, and the old security features were disabled."

"And there was no sign of any break-in," said the Chief of Police. "It's like the hotline just disappeared."

"No fingerprints, no DNA samples, no nothing!" said Blossom.

"It's as if the hotline just vanished into thin air!" Bubbles contributed. "Who could do such a thing?"

"It's like the _Diamond of Despair_ ," said the Chief of Police. "No leads, no nothing!"

"That's it! Perhaps, like the diamond, it's HIM who stole it?" Brick suggested. "I mean, he's the only villain who could pull this sort of thing."

"Yes, but why?" asked Blossom. "It isn't like him to resort to common theft."

"Who knows? Maybe he's messing with your heads? I don't know. But he's the only one with means to do so. And sadly, if it's HIM, there's no chance of retrieving your hotline," said the leader of the Rowdyruff Boys.

"Don't worry about that," said the Professor. "I already contacted Ms. Bellum, and they'll give us a new one. They'll install it tomorrow."

"Then this case is closed unless we get some new leads," said the Chief of Police. "We'll contact you if we learn anything. And thank you for dinner."

"Well thank you," said the Professor, and they waved as the police got out of the house.

"I am sorry I did not come at a better time," Mojo Jojo said, shaking the Professor's hand.

"It's alright. It's not your fault. Who would've thought someone would be audacious enough to steal the hotline?" the Professor replied.

"Perhaps another time then."

"Yes. Another time."

"We better be going. It's late. By the way, that dinner was delightful!" said Mojo.

"Thank you for being here," said the Professor.

"Bye Mojo, bye boys!" Blossom said.

"Bye boys, Mojo!" Bubbles said, waving her hand.

"Bye guys," Buttercup said.

"Bye bye!" said all three boys in unison.

"See you next time!" said Mojo before the Jojos left the Utonium home.

...

* * *

 _ **64 (253). Brick in the Library**_

 _The next day, August 12, 2005, Friday…_

Brick was flying above Townsville. He was headed towards the library.

The reason was simple. Blossom had teased and whetted his appetite for her new history books, and he could barely conceal his envy and his desire to get his hands on those and read it. Especially the one about Rome and Augustus. Ever since HIM pretended to be the first Roman Emperor, he had become even more interested in him, and to hear that Pinky had an advance copy of a very modern book was more than he could bear.

Still, he would not borrow. That would mean that they were not enemies, and Blossom was sure to extract a high price. No, he would merely find another way. And that way was in the library.

Ah, the library. Fond memories came flooding back to him. That was where, a little over a year before, he realized his intellectual deficiencies. Where his pretensions to being smart were rudely broken. Where he learned that the word 'dumb' actually had a 'b' and that he really was stupid. Where he and his brothers first attempted to try and become smarter. Where he and his brothers donned white sheets and pretended to be ghosts. Where he and his brothers knocked out the Powerpuff Girls for daring to be too nosy.

He put his hand in his pocket to make sure he did not forget to bring his library card. Satisfied that he had carried it with him, he flew down.

"Hello Mrs. Cartwright!" he greeted the old librarian at the counter.

"Why, isn't it Kenneth! And you're actually Brick the Rowdyruff! I didn't know that!" she said as he removed his hat and she fussed over him. She had known him before as Kenneth Charles Jojo, thinking of him as an ordinary boy. They had been introduced by Ms. Keane when she got them library cards so they can read in the public library without the need of sneaking in at night. "You're a superhero! Don't you know that I told everyone that I helped the new superheroes get their library cards? And they didn't believe me! Ah, Carl! Could you take pictures of us?"

Carl, who was the actual guy who processed the library cards of the Rowdyruffs, obliged.

Afterwards, Brick signed autographs for the two library employees.

"Thanks," he said, flattered by the attention. "But I just want to read. Please don't tell anyone I'm here, or they'll mob me, and I won't get anything done.

"Don't you worry your cute little self about it," said Mrs. Cartwright. "Now off you go. Just don't show your eyes. It's a dead giveaway!"

"Don't worry," he said, getting his shades from his pocket and putting it on.

He walked towards the history section. Fortunately, he looked just like any other kid, so the other library patrons ignored him. He scanned the titles for Blossom's new books. Perhaps the libraries were given early copies too.

He frowned. He was out of luck. There was none.

So he did the next best thing.

He went to another part of the library, scanned for an exciting title. _The History of the Periodic Table of Elements For Kids!_ Now that was an interesting one, as he was, aside from history, interested in Chemistry too.

He took it, looked for an empty table. There was only one, with two chairs, facing the wall.

He made himself comfortable and began to read.

* * *

 _ **65 (254). Blossom and the Book**_

Blossom was down. The terrible events of the theft of the hotline still gnawed at her. Coming right after the theft of the _Diamond of Despair_ , it had shaken her confidence. She had borne the occasional failure before—but two failures in a row? Unthinkable! Unimaginable! Impossible! Yet here it was, her failure as a leader and as a hero bared to all.

True, it was impossible to blame her—for she was not actually at the museum when the theft occurred, and she was at the park when the hotline was stolen, yet it still gnawed at her. She was supposed to be the perfect little leader who did not fail when it counted.

Yet she failed. If one counted the failure to either defeat the Rowdyruff Boys in battle, there were three successive failures.

Brick would have a field day mocking her for it.

She was flying from the Mayor's office. She had made the final arrangement for the installation of the new hotline. Now, she needed a break from all the stress. She needed a good book to curl upon. No, it was not the new books the Professor had bought her—that was for the future. Currently, the book that she was reading was about the history of the Periodic Table. It was a book that was not allowed to be loaned, so she had to spend time in the library if she wanted to read it. It would let her wallow in science and make her forget her worries.

She went to the library, showed her card, and went to the usual shelf where the book was.

But it was not there. Where was it?

Perhaps it was misfiled?

Or worse? Maybe someone was actually reading it?

She looked at the patrons of the library and used her x-ray vision to help her look at the books they were reading.

Nothing.

Until she noticed that there was a boy on the table beside the wall. He was about her age, with long red hair.

 _Wait! Long red hair?_

She walked over.

And there it was. Brick Jojo. Reading _her_ book.

And she was annoyed. She wanted to read it. She did not care that it was he who got it first. She had been reading it in the past week, and she was nearly finished with it.

She got a piece of paper, and a pencil, and wrote something on it.

 _Hello Brick. It's Blossom. I have been reading that book for a week now. Could you give it to me?_

 _Please?_

 _Thank you._

She tapped her shoulder, and he turned.

His red eyes were covered with shades, and he raised his eyebrows at the sight of her.

She handed him her paper.

She expected him to just hand the book over. After all, what was a mere periodic table to a Rowdyruff?

Instead, he wrote something on the back of the paper and handed it to Blossom.

 _I'm not yet done._

She was surprised. It didn't occur to her that he would refuse her reasonable request. She was about to demand it, or worse, to take it, but then, her rational mind reasserted itself. It was she who was being unreasonable. She needed to act mature, and be a model to young girls everywhere. Making a scene would not do.

So she would just wait until Brick was finished reading the book. But what if somebody else picked up the book?

She settled on sitting beside him to wait. At first, she tried to ignore him and to focus her attention on the blank wall facing her, or the bare wooden table. Instead, her pink eyes went in his direction and looked at the page he was reading.

 _73_

Her eyes darted on the text, and she began reading too. She was annoyed when he turned the page before she was finished, but she put up with it. He was reading fast. She could tell that he would read the main text first, then look at all the illustrations. Sometimes, she would finish earlier, and waited patiently until Brick would turn the page.

But it wasn't a loss. She had read all of that earlier in the week. She was just waiting until he reached Chapter VI. Which was daunting since he was still in Chapter II.

Brick suddenly took a piece of paper and wrote something. He passed it to her.

 _What page?_

She wrote below it, _Chapter 6._

He turned the page to the sixth chapter and put the book between them.

What a nice gesture!

She began reading. She quickly reached the end of the page. But he seemed to take forever to finish. After a minute or so, she tapped him, and said, in a hushed whisper, "Are you finished with that page?"

"You?"

"Yes."

With that, he turned the page.

And they read silently. When she was finished, she would tap him on the arm, and he would, if he was finished, turn the page. If he were not, he would tap her in turn.

That happened to an entire chapter, and into chapter seven.

* * *

 _ **66 (255). Red and Pink Talk**_

She got curious. Why was he reading a chemistry history textbook? Was it because it was an assignment from Ms. Keane? Were they that advanced already?

She got her paper and pen and began writing.

 _Is Ms. Keane teaching you about the History of Chemistry?_

It was meant as an innocent question, so his reaction surprised her.

He wrote below her message, _I'm done reading. The book's yours._

With that, he abruptly stood and walked out of the library.

What did she say or write? Was it about Ms. Keane?

Wait! Weren't the Rowdyruffs looking for their teacher earlier in the week? During the night they played with the girls?

She closed her book and tried to catch-up.

Fortunately, Brick was having a quick chat with Mrs. Cartwright. He was saying his goodbyes, apparently, and he flew from the porch.

Blossom made a quick goodbye, and ran and flew as fast as she could.

As soon as she was out of the library, and seeing that she could still see him as he rose to the clouds above, she shouted. "BRICK!"

He halted, and looked down at her, and waited for her to continue.

Not wanting to have a shouting conversation, and not wanting people to eavesdrop, she flew so that they were on the same level, and she was looking at him eye to eye.

"Thank you. For sharing the book, the periodic table history I mean. And letting me read it by myself."

He gave a laugh. "You shouldn't have left. Somebody else's probably reading it already. But I'm sure you would just ask whoever is reading it, and they'll oblige."

"What? I would never do that!"

"Why not? You're a superhero!"

"That's not the point! That abuse of position! Of power!"

"That didn't stop you from demanding it from me!"

"That's different. We're of the same rank and power. You're not awed by my heroics or superpowers. If I ask that to ordinary people, they'd think it's a command," she said.

"And your point is?"

"It's not ethical!"

"You shouldn't quibble about it. You've got power. Physical power. That physical power would give you other kinds of power. Like the power to command, and the power of popularity, and that would, if you are so willing, give you, even more power," said Brick. "I for one, intend to fully exploit my powers. Just you wait!"

"That may be true, but I don't like it! I don't want people to give what I want because of my powers!"

"What you want and what is, are two different things," he said, "and you better get used to it. Power will flow to you whether you like or not. I've learned that just recently."

How did this deteriorate into a debate on the nature of power? "Anyway, thank you for sharing that book."

"You're welcome," he said.

"And how's Ms. Keane?" she asked.

He grimaced as he was silent for a while. "She's fine," he finally said.

And that confirmed to her that not everything's fine. It took him too long to respond that she's fine.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," he snapped.

And she knew she wasn't going to get anything else out of him.

"She's out of town," he said, "and we're not sure when she's coming back."

"I'm sure she's coming back soon. After all, the first day of classes is near."

"Hopefully," he said.

There was a bit of awkwardness as silence descended upon the two kids. "So how's the hotline?" Brick asked.

"It's gone forever," said Blossom. "If it's really HIM, there's no hope. But at least it's easily replaced."

He didn't say anything.

"And Bubbles was really disappointed. Both because of the theft, and because she was really looking forward to another day of play and games with you guys. Want to visit?" she suddenly asked. "To play? We're not doing anything right now."

"Are you asking us to play with you?" he asked incredulously.

"Let me put it this way. Would you three come out and play?" she asked loudly.

And both laughed.

"Not now. Mojo's expecting us. Perhaps tomorrow," he said. "Anyway, gotta go."

"Bye!" she shouted before he flew to the direction of the forest.

She flew home, glad and looking forward to another playdate for the next day. She wondered what games they could play? Bubbles would be delighted!

…

* * *

"What? We're gonna play with the boys tomorrow?" Bubbles asked excitedly as soon as Blossom told her sisters the news.

"Well he did say, 'perhaps tomorrow,'" Blossom said. "So yes, and maybe. Hopefully, yes."

"Well, at least it would be fun," Buttercup conceded. "It was fun last time we played."

* * *

…

 _ **67 (256). Return of the Devil**_

 _Later that night…_

The boys stood in the middle of their living room. Butch was holding a brown sack, while Boomer was carrying a large box, one nearly as big as a Rowdyruff.

Brick, holding a rolled-up newspaper, was impatient. Where was HIM? He wanted to see the reaction of the evilest of evil.

Then he heard it. That sinister high-pitched laugh. Then he saw it. The red-pink smoke as it engulfed the room, and the room slowly disappeared, the walls and surroundings become twisted, until they found themselves again in Hell, HIM's domain.

And there he was. One of the Lords of Darkness himself.

HIM.

"So my boys, did you complete your second task?"

"Yes," Brick shouted proudly.

"Well? What crime did you commit against the Powerpuff Girls?"

Brick grinned. "Butch!" he commanded.

Butch took the hotline from inside the sack and showed it to HIM.

…

* * *

HIM gazed at the white phone with a smiling face. Was that phone mocking him with its smile? Because that's what he felt. Mocked. Yet he was strangely sanguine about it. Even proud of his redhead stepson.

"We stole it from the Powerpuff Girls! And they knew it was stolen. And it was significant to them! It was no piddling crime!" Brick announced. "And we didn't tell them we were committing it because of you, to save Ms. Keane."

And once again, they went through the eye of the needle.

"Don't tell me that the girls didn't know that it was you?"

"They didn't even suspect us!" the eldest ruff boasted. "So there's no need to justify ourselves! Look at the paper!"

He got the rolled-up newspaper, the _Townsville Tribune,_ and showed it to HIM.

 _POWERPUFF HOTLINE STOLEN IN POWERPUFF HOME. BRICK JOJO, RRB BOSS, BLAMES HIM_

HIM didn't know whether to laugh or to be enraged! Once again, the boys were able to circumvent his true intentions! He wanted his boys to break their agreement with the girls by making them commit a crime against the girls. The girls would then become enraged and feel betrayed, and thus, turn into the boys' enemies like before, leaving the boys easy prey.

But, but, but he can't help by be amazed by the Rowdyruff Boys' sheer ingenuity and brilliance. They never showed such during their death and stay in hell! Yet here they were, as brilliant as the Powerpuff Girls. Brick himself was proving to be as smart as Blossom, and just as charismatic.

And their sheer cheek! If it weren't an affront to him, HIM would have admired it! He knew that they were actually afraid of him. That what made their actions so admirable.

But he still had one task. He must word the task correctly so the boys would not have any wiggle room.

"We want to see Ms. Keane!" Brick demanded.

"I still have to tell you your last task!" said HIM.

"Tell us after we meet with Teacher," he replied. "We want one hour. The same as before!"

"What? How dare you dictate to me?"

"Didn't we do all your tasks satisfactorily? Didn't we follow your commands to the letter? We did commit a crime of importance. And we did a significant crime against the Powerpuff Girls! Now we demand, as our reward, a temporary visit to our beloved teacher! Surely, you can't deny us such a reasonable request?"

 _The cheek! The gall! The audacity! How infuriating! How marvelous! Boys, you are something else!_

He smiled and did his high pitched giggle. "Very well. If you insist. One hour."

He waved his hand, and the surroundings began to change.

* * *

…

 _ **68 (257). Feast with the Teacher**_

"Teacher!" yelled Boomer as he and his brothers found themselves on the porch of the house where Ms. Keane was staying, in the middle of a black void. He placed the big box on the table on the porch as he heard the footsteps from the inside of the house.

The door opened, and the three boys gave her a tight hug.

"Look at what we got you!" Brick said, which was Boomer's cue to get the big box. The blond put the box on the table in the living room and opened it.

And there was food. Hamburgers, soda, pizza, potato chips, fried chicken, cake.

"We knew the food here is drab," said Boomer. "There's bread, coffee, pork, beans. So we thought maybe you'd miss some of the fancy foods of Townsville!"

Ms. Keane eyed it and said, "could you help me put it on the dining table?"

…

* * *

Teacher and students were having a meal in the dining room, feasting on the food brought by the boys, and supplemented by food that appeared on the refrigerator.

"Delicious!" said the teacher. "Absolutely delightful! Thank you, boys!"

"You're welcome," said Brick.

Then the boys told her the story of the theft of the hotline.

* * *

"Poor, poor, girls," she said after hearing the tale. "I suppose you can never tell the girls the truth about this while I'm here?"

"No. Or we'll never be able to get you out of here," said Butch.

"Still, if you can do so safely, I suggest making a full confession after all of this is over. The girls needed to know the truth."

"You think that's wise?" asked Brick.

"Yes. And they won't take it against you."

"We won't apologize! We did the right thing!" asserted the red ruff. "I abased myself to them once, and I will never ever do that again! I'd rather die than apologize!"

"I'm not saying you should. The girls will understand," said Ms. Keane. "It's just that it's not healthy to keep secrets from each other. Look at what happened the last time you kept secrets. You should've told them the truth after you had your revenge."

"I suppose," said Boomer.

"And what do you think about joining as a team?"

"I don't like it!" said Boomer. "They're sissies!"

"Yeah. They're too soft!" Butch added.

"And I don't like to lose control! You think I like having Blossom dictate to me?" Brick replied.

"Don't be like that!" Ms. Keane laughed. "They're not as soft as you think they are. They're tough. You'll learn a lot from them."

"And who would even be the leader of such a team? We're too different. We'd never agree on anything!" Brick argued.

"Yeah. We like doing things our way! And they like doing things their way," said Boomer.

"That would be your challenge. And who knows? Maybe your different styles will compliment each other, and make for a stronger team? You and Blossom could be co-leaders, Brick."

"That would never work, Teacher."

"Why not?"

"A team needs one leader. That leader would be the guiding force, the director of the actions of all of the members. It would give direction and purpose to the actions of the team," said Brick, as if he was mouthing something he had read before. "Thus, there needs to be only one leader. One leader who the others would unquestionable obey! If there are two leaders, there could only be chaos! Confusion! Anarchy!"

"That's not true!" said the teacher.

"Maybe not. But I believe it! And I will not be part of a team with two leaders. There must be only one leader! And that leader should be me!" said Brick. "Tell Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup to bow down to me and follow my orders, and that's the only time I'll consent to merge the teams."

"Yeah!" Boomer added.

"You know the girls won't allow that."

"Then there would be no merger," said Brick, his tone indicating that he would not budge an inch.

* * *

 _ **69 (258). HIM's Third Task**_

Ms. Keane retreated. There would enough time to convince him of the merits of her case. And the teacher was not even sure the girls would favor it. Instead, they talked about the coming school year.

"So, are you excited about school?" asked Ms. Keane.

"To tell you the truth, not really," said the leader.

"Yeah. There's nothing the school can teach us that you and Mojo can't," said Butch. "We're just doing it because of the agreement."

"Don't worry. I will be your teacher too for most of your subjects, and I promise I'll make it as interesting as possible."

"So how should we act? I mean, should we try to act like any other students? We don't like that because we're not ordinary students," said Boomer.

"And we're not the Powerpuff Girls, so we won't try to act like normals!" Brick added. "How will the other kids react to us?"

"We'll just have to find out!" said Ms. Keane. "I'm sure they will all give you a warm welcome."

"ONE MINUTE!" HIM's voice in its low, harsh tone suddenly was heard.

"Well, bye then. See you later," said Brick, giving a hug to her by the tummy.

"Bye Ms. Keane," said Boomer, hugging her by the neck.

"See ya later, Ms. Keane! Don't worry! We'll get you out of here," said Butch, hugging her knees.

She patted them and gave them each a hug. "Good luck," she said as she was done.

"TIME'S UP!" HIM announced.

…

* * *

"So, are you ready for your task?" the evilest of evil asked.

"Yes, we are," said the green ruff.

"Very well. Let's see. Your last task, if you want to save your Teacher, is this. You must commit a crime."

"Again?" asked Boomer.

"I'm not finished!"

"Sorry," apologized the blond.

"Let's see. Where was I? Oh yes. You must commit a crime. It must be significant. So no littering or loitering. And it must be against the Powerpuff Girls. And the Powerpuff Girls must know that a crime had been committed against them!"

"But that's the same as the last one!" Butch whined.

"I'm not yet done. And the Powerpuff Girls must know that you did the crime against them! And that you did it willfully, and deliberately."

Brick gasped. The Agreement was dead!

"And the crime can't be against their property. So no stealing! It must be against their persons! And not only against one, but all three of them! And it goes without saying that you can't tell them why you did it, or tell anyone to tell them."

"You can't demand that!" Brick shouted, realizing the implications.

"Oh yes, I can. I'll be looking forward to it! Tomorrow, the same time!" HIM said.

Brick knew what HIM wanted. He wanted them to beat up the girls, or worse, kill them.

But there must be a way out of this dilemma!

End of Chapter 7

As always, please do me a favor and review if you've read this chapter. Reviews really lighten my day and makes me very happy. Thank you very much for reading!

* * *

 **Author Notes**

 **To Hinate,**

 _Blossom x Brick Forever..._

 _Sorry i've not been reviewing for a few... actually i read it right away after updates but everytime i do it's like in mid of a night with a phone coz i don't want it to end... and than i get too lazy D: sorry about that... anyways it's going really great... Brick gonna kidnap Blossom too eh... that would be awesome to see and Bubbles says only letters not gonna do it... was kinda amusing, though it's always Bubbles and Boomer that get's together 1st... GIVE REDS some life as couple xD_

 _Anyways thank you for the updates it's awesome... i really love it_

 _Take care~ Cya soon..._

Welcome back. And yeah, Bubbles and Boomer would always go first, as there was something to start with—as she had already had a crush on Boomer, so it's easier to work with. And don't worry, Brick and Blossom would have their moments, and this chapter has a Brick and Blossom moment.

And thank you.

* * *

 **To Ash141,**

 _Amazing, simply amazing!_

 _The Boys are so smart, I love it so much! Keep trying Ms. Keane, you'll get through to them eventually, or something could happen that instantly requires the Boys and Girls to work as one, whatever comes first. HIM is such a jerk, I don't care if he gave her a "nice" place to live, who would want to go outside just to see pitch black nothingness!? Answer: Nobody!_

 _Brick is so crafty and sly, I believe the only being his charm won't work on is Blossom. I can see him trying it with her and she'd be completely unfazed, especially as they got older. He would try to sweet talk (as I'm calling it) himself either out of trouble or to make someone do what he wants, and Blossom would just hit him with her book or something and be like, "quit it" or "cut it out Brick". I think they'd be that familiar with each other in the future._

 _I love how Brick is thinking more and more about 'kidnapping' Blossom, he may claim it's to get her books for ransom but we all know it's because he secretly (or maybe not so secretly) wants to kidnap her to spend more time with her like his brother does with her sister. (Yeah that's right Brick I can see right through you, lol)_

 _Anyway, wonderful chapter, can't wait for the next one! Until next time._

 _~Ash141_

Yes, the boys are becoming smarter, although a lot of the credit for the success of their plans would have to shared with Mojo. And yeah, right now, the boys aren't too amenable to joining and merging with the girls, and Ms Keane would have to try harder.

HIM is a jerk! I think HIM just wanted to make sure Ms Keane was comfortable and not risk getting the boys even more angry at him than they already were.

Oh Blossom won't be affected by his tricks like everyone else would be. She herself has her own charisma, and charm, that would counteract anything that Brick could do, and I doubt Brick would even try. Though that won't stop Brick from trying to manipulate everyone else and make them do what he wants them to do. After all, Blossom can't be around him every time.

* * *

To **DPSS** ,

 _The bank scene really goes to show why merging the puffs and the ruffs really wouldn't work out even if one ignores the rather large problem of the clashes of egos and authority (because really, the only one of the six that might follow the opposing leader, is Bubles). The two teams methods and ideologies are simply too different for them combine forces permanently, at least for the time being. Really, Ms Keanne really needs to learn when she's pushing it. I get that she wants the boys and the girls to get closer and possibly become "the ultimate forces of good", but she is rushing things. Heck, considering how much the boys and the girls used to hate each other until recently, what they currently have can be considered a god damned miracle. She should be thankful and content with the way things are for now. Besides, there are various advantages for having two smaller independent teams instead of one large one. And it's not like they won't work together if something really big comes up, they are allies after all. Heck, the only reason the boys haven't gone to the powerpuffs with this Him situation yet, is because they're being blackmailed not to._

I agree. The boys still think they were evil, and in many ways, they still are, even they fight on the side of good. And yeah, Ms Keane is pushing it. Her previous success with changing the goals of the boys from destroying the girls, to making "act" as superheroes, and to make them into respectable members of society went to her head, and she could be thinking that with regards to the boys, she could do no wrong. And she kept pushing her luck. And yeah, I agree. She should just be content with what she has now.

And yeah, right now, it was a pretty good set-up, with them being allies. They can act as superheroes the way they wanted without interference from the other side.

* * *

To **William F Somebody,**

 _What a nice nice chapter! We get to see more cleverness from the boys as they fulfill the tasks of HIM without achieving HIM's ultimate aim._

 _And it was so smart! Getting their hotline! I wonder how the girls would react? And would they even suspect the boys? I think not, as their alibi was superb. And Mojo JOjo really is helping the boys! I like that he is more than merely a background character in this fic, but actually contributes to the plot! Hope we get more Mojo goodness soon!_

 _I wonder how HIM would react? And what would be the third task? Looking forward to it!_

As for how the girls would react, this chapter answers that question. And they won't suspect the boys as they have no reason to. And I really like Mojo so it was fun to have him be at the center of all this.

This chapter answer how HIM would react and what the third task is.

Thanks.

* * *

To **John** ,

 _What a great chapter!_

Thanks.


	8. II (VI) - The Last Task

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Powerpuff Girls. It is owned and created by Craig McCraken, and by Cartoon Network.

* * *

 **An Education From HIM**

Peace reigns between the Powerpuff Girls and Rowdyruff Boys. Even as the boys claims that they remain evil, they become close to their counterparts, becoming penpals and playmates to each other. Yet HIM watches, and vows to shatter their peace. Chapter 8. The Rowdyruff Boys figure out how to fulfill the last task of HIM. And at first, it was goes smoothly. But why is Brick worried?

 **Book II (VI)**

 **The Tasks**

* * *

 **Chapter VIII (XXVII)**

 **The Last Task**

 _Please, please, leave a review. Thank you._

 _ **70 (259). What to Do?**_

"What are we going to do?" Boomer asked as they returned to their home. He was hopeful that his eldest brother would have a solution. After all, they had successfully outwitted the lobster-like demon twice, right?

It was a question that vexed the boys. They wanted to save their beloved teacher above all else. Yet secondary to that, they wanted to have peace with the Powerpuff Girls. They had been clever enough to do all the tasks HIM asked of them without breaking the peace, no matter how much HIM wanted otherwise. Yet it seemed impossible to repeat their feat for the third time.

"Beat up the girls, what else?" said Butch. He was the least in favor of making concessions to the Powerpuff Girls in exchange for peace.

"You think it's a good idea?" asked Brick.

"Better them than Teacher Keane," the middle ruff asserted. "I don't want to break your precious agreement, Brick, but Ms. Keane's life is at stake."

"Yeah. Beat up the girls," said Boomer, agreeing with the middle ruff. "It ruins everything else, but Teacher would be fine."

"No, no. It's too risky," said Brick. "We could even lose. Which would make things worse. I don't think HIM would appreciate attempted assault!"

"But what can we do? Remember that we have only one day," said Butch. "There's no alternative to beating them up. Don't worry. We won't have to kill them. Physical assault is still a crime against their persons, I think."

"I'm sure it is. Why don't we sleep on it? Tomorrow morning might be a better time," said Brick, yawning.

"Yeah. I'm tired," said Butch, before going to his room. "Tomorrow then."

"See you tomorrow," Boomer said, going to his room.

Brick let out a sigh as he prepared to go to bed. What can he do? He was near despair. He would have to sacrifice one for another. The agreement or Ms. Keane's life. Faced with that choice, he had no doubt what he would do. _It was no choice at all._ He would choose Ms. Keane.

But he wanted to have his cake and eat it too. He wanted to save his teacher, but also the agreement with the Powerpuff Girls. The question was, how? After doing his evening ritual of brushing his teeth, washing his face, and changing to his pajamas, he looked at his table before going to bed. And glimpsed a white envelope.

It was Blossom's latest letter! He tried to remember. When did Pinky give it to him? Oh yes! It was Bubbles when they went to Mojo Mojo. They ran into her.

He forgot about it due to recent events. Pinky would be angry for replying after a good three days! He can imagine her impatience!

Now's a good time to catch up, and take his mind off the problem.

He opened the envelope and began reading.

* * *

 _ **71 (260). Morning Routine**_

 _The next day, August 13, Saturday…_

"Hello, Mayor!" Bubbles sleepily answered the new hotline in their room. The hotline had just been installed last night. It was comforting that what had been so stealthily stolen had been speedily replaced. At least HIM won't stop them from saving the day. She was eager to test it out, so she called dibs on making the first answer.

"Powerpuff Girls! There's a giant monster attacking the city!" the Mayor shouted.

"We're on it!" she shouted. "Girls!"

"We heard ya!" Buttercup said, yawning from the bed.

"Yes, yes. We're coming," said Blossom, waking up.

The three girls quickly changed to their everyday color-coded black striped dresses and flew to the city.

There it was—a giant lizard. It had green scales. Enormous yellow eyes with thin pupils on either side of its head. It had a big mouth with sharp yellow teeth the size of daggers. And it had giant arms with giant claws and a huge tail.

It was gigantic, but Bubbles was not scared. It was another run of the mill monster.

"Okay, girls. Let's keep this simple. Bubbles, make sure no innocents get hurt. Buttercup, make sure the Monster doesn't hurt anyone."

"Right!" said Bubbles, who flew to the path of the monster, scooping up all civilians and all animals who had not yet run away.

...

* * *

"Don't worry, I'll keep you safe!" Bubbles said, depositing the civilians in a distant and safe place.

"Thank you, Bubbles!" the crowd said in gratitude.

She repeatedly scoured the place until it was deserted.

"All clear!" she shouted.

"Alright girls! Let's show the monster what we're made of!"

Buttercup gave a wicked grin as the monster charged. She easily avoided the strong but clumsy swipes of its claws. She gave a powerful punch to its jaw, causing it to scream and fall.

Blossom caught it by going beneath the monster, preventing the giant lizard from hitting the pavement and destroying more property. She threw it into the air.

Buttercup caught it by the tail, spun it around, and tossed it into the sea.

Where Bubbles was waiting. She punched through the monster, causing it to explode into a million pieces.

"That was easy," said Buttercup as they watched the monster explode.

The girls got dirty fighting the monster. They were full of monster guts and blood.

"Ew!" said Bubbles, sniffing herself and feeling disgusted by her smell. She flew home as fast as possible, followed by her sisters. She needed to get clean and be presentable. After all, the boys might come in at any minute to play. What would Boomer say if he found her reeking of monster guts?

True, Brick only said to Blossom ' _Perhaps Tomorrow'_ , but that had been good enough for the blue puff. She was excited! She wondered what fun they would have that day! Perhaps more play acting? Tea Parties? Or Tag? Maybe storytelling? The possibilities were endless!

The girls went to the bath prepared by the Professor. Even Buttercup. After that, they changed into a fresh and clean set of clothes—their usual color-coded dresses, white tights, and black mary-jane shoes. The youngest puff looked at the mirror as she fixed her blonde hair into the usual pigtails.

Yes, she looked beautiful indeed. Then she helped Blossom fix her long red hair.

After they were done fixing themselves, they had breakfast. It was the usual bacon, eggs, and milk, with the Professor having a cup of coffee. As usual, his head was buried in the days' newspaper.

"I wonder what time they're gonna arrive?" asked Bubbles.

"Bubbles, they didn't say they'd definitely come. What do you think the word 'perhaps' mean?" Buttercup asked skeptically. " _Perhaps tomorrow_ does not mean they'd come _tomorrow for sure_!"

"And even if they would," said Blossom, "they could call us and invite us to play at their house instead of coming over."

"Well, I'm sure they'll want to play with us today. Maybe we should call them and ask?" Bubbles eagerly said before shoving bacon into her mouth.

"Call them? Let's just wait. If they don't call before lunch, let's ask them if they'll come or if we should go there," said Blossom after she chewed her food, "or even if they'd play with us."

"Or maybe you should accept the fact that he gave an evasive answer on purpose so Brick wouldn't have to outright refuse your invitation?" asked Buttercup.

"And why would he refuse it?" the leader asked incredulously.

"Maybe he's busy? Or because he's a jerk?" Buttercup answered.

"Well, I'll be going upstairs!" Bubbles announced happily as had got an urge to draw and color. "Call me when they arrive!"

* * *

 _ **72 (261). Blue Intruder**_

 _Meanwhile…_

"You got the plan, Boom?" asked Brick.

Boomer nodded as they floated on a cloud above the Utonium home. It was about seven in the morning, and the boys were waiting for an opportunity to implement their operation.

"Yes, I think so. I would go first, and take Bubbles, while you and Butch are back-up. If I can take her alone, I would. You would get Blossom, with Butch as back-up. When both girls are secure, you'll take Buttercup," the blond recited.

"Yes. You'll sneak in as soon as there's an opportunity," said Brick as they scanned the place using their x-ray vision.

They heard the hotline ring and saw Bubbles answering it. Three streaks flew towards the city through the round open windows of their rooms.

"Now!" Brick said to Boomer.

The blond ruff looked at the white square dwelling, suppressed the bad memories of the last time he was alone in that house, and descended. He entered through the Powerpuff window and found himself in the girls' room. Their bed wasn't made yet-not surprising considering the nature of the wake-up call.

So what to do? He needed to catch Bubbles by herself. But how? He went to the walk-in closet. He shuddered at seeing all the girlish dresses, bows, and other items. He swallowed his distaste and waited.

"How's it going?" Boomer asked using his communicator watch.

"It's fine," said Brick. "They're still busy with the monster—no, wait! They're done. They're going home. Don't call me. They might find out."

He decided that it might not be a good idea to hide there since the girls might change their clothes, so he switched hiding positions. He hid under the bed instead.

He heard the girls arrive and the call of the Professor to take a bath. He waited for a bit and then listened to the sounds of the girls changing—though he was too well-mannered, not to mention shy, to try to be a peeking Tom. He closed his eyes and wished that they would go away. He began to dread the plan.

Why? Why did he have to snatch Bubbles from inside their home?

Why couldn't he wait for Bubbles to go out?

Because Brick said so, and that was that.

Even if he thought Brick's orders were stupid, Brick was leader, and his word was law.

He heard the Professor call them for breakfast, and he let out a massive sigh of relief as he listened to all three girls go down.

He activated his x-ray vision, confirmed that no one was left in the room, and went out. He sat on the bed as he contemplated his options.

Then heard it. Bubbles! She was humming a loud tune to herself, and she was getting closer and closer.

He hid behind the door and prayed hard that she would be alone.

* * *

…

Bubbles hummed one of her favorite tunes as she went up the stairs. It was the same tune that she played during the rampage of Mr. Mime, also known as Rainbow the Clown.

" _Open your eyes and take in everything that you see_

 _Look at all the colors, red, yellow, blue, & green!"_

She opened the door of her room, and entered, as she sang to herself.

" _We can take an airplane and fly across the globe_

 _Look down upon the colors, evmmpphhh!"_

A hand suddenly clamped over her mouth while the other arm wrapped around her torso and her arms, pulling her flush against the unseen assailant. She panicked involuntarily as a familiar voice whispered, "I'm kidnapping you. Don't make this hard."

She relaxed. It was Boomie. Was this part of playing that Brick said they were going to do that day?

"MMPphhh mphhh pmphhhh," she uttered as she tried to say, _We're playing, right, Boomie?_

Then there was a sound. There were footsteps and more humming. It was Blossom.

…

* * *

 _ **73 (262). Taking Bubbles**_

Boomer panicked. What could he do? He saw the walk-in closet. He dragged Bubbles to it and closed the door. He clamped his hand even tighter against Bubbles' mouth.

The door to the room opened, and he could hear her footsteps. "Bubbles!" Blossom called. "Bubbles, where are you?"

Boomer's heart sank. If Bubbles talked even a little, no matter how hard his hand clamped against her mouth, she would be heard.

 _Please don't say anything, Princess! Please don't give me away!_

"Now where could that little sister of mine be? I swore I heard her! Of course, she must have flown through the window."

Fortunately, Bubbles did not make a sound. She kept perfectly still as they heard her footsteps go to the door, listened to the door open, and get closed.

…

* * *

Bubbles sighed too as she heard Blossom leave. She did not want him to be caught, as she wanted to play whatever game he was playing with her. He left the walk-in closet, dragging her with him, went to the still open window, and flew, carrying her as he still had his arms wrapped around her and kept her mouth covered, out into the sky.

"Thanks," he whispered as they flew towards the Rowdyruff Home. They entered the house through Boomer's window, and she was deposited on the bed. On the floor were coils of rope, a roll of duct tape, and pieces of handkerchiefs.

It was only this time that she was able to see Boomer. He was covered in sweat and was anxious-no doubt from nearly being discovered. Still, it was exciting for her, the way she was abducted. Even if this wasn't serious, he was making all effort to make this game look real.

"What do you want with me?" Bubbles said, frowning.

"I am kidnapping you!" Boomer declared as he uncoiled the rope.

"Why?"

"Because I am evil! I am a villain!" declared Boomer as if that answered everything. "And you'll fetch a fine ransom, Princess!"

"You better let me go, or you'll be sorry!" she stated. "I am a Powerpuff Girl, and they'll come looking for me!"

"They can try," he said as he finally finished fixing the ropes. "Now, Princess, could you come over here and put your hands behind you?"

"What do you think you're doing?" Bubbles demanded indignantly, but nonetheless, complied, walking towards him, turning around, and putting her hands behind her.

"Tying you up so you won't escape," said Boomer, as she felt rope being wound around her wrists. Something's different.

Dropping character, she said, "Wait, that's not the orange rope! I can easily snap this one!"

"Don't worry about that," he said as he knotted off the rope around her wrists and started to wound the rope around her waist and over her hands. "Just don't try to snap it until I'm done, okay?"

He tied more rope around her shoulders. Then turned her around, and tied her ankles and her knees.

He then finally showed her a piece of orange rope, the about three feet in length. He tied it around her bare left arm near her shoulder.

Suddenly, the ordinary ropes seemed like steel bands and suddenly felt much tighter than before. "Try to escape now, Princess!"

She gave a small attempt and quickly realized that she's stuck as her powers became dormant.

"This way, the orange rope won't be used too much, and can be conserved," he said as he got a large handkerchief and rolled it into a ball. "Open up!"

"Wait! Before you do that, I need to ask a question!" she said.

"Yes?"

"Um, what are you gonna ask for me?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, what are you gonna demand as ransom? I've got new Fairy Tale books. I'm sure you'd love to have it."

"Oh, that's a surprise!"

"Aren't you gonna ask me what I have like before?"

"Oh, I already saw what you have when we played in your room, remember?"

"Oh yeah. But please promise one thing."

"What?" he asked.

"Please don't leave me alone like this! It's really boring! I can't do anything."

"Oh, I don't know. I mean, what could be more fun than just sitting there, tied up, gagged, unable to do anything?"

"Promise, or I won't play!" she said adamantly. She wanted Boomer to pay attention to her all the time if she was going to play his helpless captive.

"Okay, I promise, you won't be left alone," he said as he put the balled-up handkerchief before her mouth. "And thanks for not snitching me to your sister."

She smiled, before opening her mouth wide. He put the entire wad inside, filling the entirety of her mouth. Then got another handkerchief, rolled it into a long band, and tied it across her open mouth and knotted it behind her head. Then he got the duct tape and wrapped it over her mouth and around her head, tightly, around six times.

"Try to talk," he said as he finished.

"Mmmphhh mphhh mphhh," she uttered as she tried to speak _what can is say?_ The sound was very faint. She knew that she was stuck.

"Perfect!" he said as looked at her with a wide grin.

…

* * *

 _ **74 (263). Breakfast for Boomer**_

He sighed with relief as he stared at her, helpless, silent, once more his captive. He had enjoyed kidnapping her and tying her up and keeping her as his captive. And his part of the plan was partly done. At least he knew even before they started that Bubbles would play along with this.

He just hoped that HIM would be fooled. The ropes and the gag would be enough to convince the devil that he had committed a real crime against Bubbles.

He was tired. He sat on the bed beside Bubbles and lay on it for a little while. He had woken up very early in the morning, and he wanted to rest. But what to do with Bubbles while he waited for his brothers to finish? Bubbles was entirely his at the moment. He planned to just leave her in his room while he did something else, but his promise to his counterpart squelched that.

"You've eaten breakfast, right?" he asked.

She nodded.

"I haven't," he said. "You can hop, right?"

She nodded.

"Follow me," he said as she stood up and walked to the door. She stood up too, and hopped after him, going through the corridor to the top of the stairs.

He put her on his shoulders like a sack of potatoes and carried her down the stairs. Once on the floor, he gently put her on her feet on the floor.

And he walked to the kitchen, with her following him.

"You're probably wondering where everyone else is?" he asked.

She nodded.

"Mojo's in the lab, doing whatever it is he's doing," he said. "As for my brothers, they're outside, doing something I can't tell, but you'll find out soon enough."

* * *

…

Bubbles' blue eyes widened. She could guess what they were up to. "Mmmmphhhh mmph mmph mmphh?" she asked, meaning to say, _are your brothers gonna kidnap my sisters too?_

"You're hungry too?" asked Boomer, totally misinterpreting what she asked. "Sorry, but it's too late! You should've said that before you're gagged. Next time it comes off is for lunch."

She shook her head. "Mmmph mmphhh mppph nnnnn phhhh!" _No, I'm not hungry. But are they gonna get Blossom and Buttercup too?_

He again mistook what she said. "What am I going to eat? Let's see. Bacon, eggs, and ham," he said, opening the refrigerator and putting the already cooked food in the microwave.

She tried once more as Boomer put her on one of the chairs. "Mmpphhh mmpp mmmhpph mmmphhh mmphhh!" _No! I mean, are they getting my sisters too?_ She really was desperate to know the fate of her sisters. Since who will pay the ransom if they were captured too?

"Yes, delicious, ain't it? Though that's not the tastiest breakfast I've ever eaten. Believe me, I prefer toast and butter," he said as he sat and began eating.

Bubbles gave up trying to talk. That was a total failure of communication, though she guessed that was the purpose of the gag.

* * *

She tried a game as she watched her counterpart eat breakfast.

"Mmpph mpphh nnmhggg?" _What's my name?_

"What's my favorite story? My favorite story is _Puss in Boots._ "

"Mmmhh pmmmh rrgghh?" _What's the color of my eyes?_

"It's because I like how the cat fooled everyone and made his master rich and famous. I am going to help make Brick powerful!"

"MMphhh mmmphh mphhh?" _How are you gonna make him powerful?_

"What's my favorite part? Well, that's when Puss tricked the Ogre into turning into a mouse, and the cat ate it! It always puts a smile on my face to read that scene!"

Now time for the real fun to begin.

"Dddhhh nnggg mmppp mmgp?" _Do you like me?_

"Yes, I do like how the cat tricked his master to get to the stream and bathed naked!"

"Rrphnngg mffgggg mmph phh rhhhhp?" _Do you think I'm very pretty?_

"Very. I think Mojo had been a swell father! I really regret that we didn't give a chance before."

"Bhhhmmmm mmphhe mmphhh ngggg?" _How about we be together forever?_

"Yes. Moving to the woods was the best decision my brother made!"

"Phfffff mphhh nggg mfffff?" _Want to be my boyfriend?_

"Why not? Cartoons are the best, and it's getting boring, so we might as well watch TV! But I'll do the dishes first, or Pops or Brick might kill me."

She giggled hard as Boomer did the dishes. He really didn't understand what she was trying to tell him! It made it so fun! And the responses were charming too! What a coincidence that the first part of his answers matched what she wanted his actual answer to be! It really made her blush and put butterflies in her stomach.

He only took a minute to finish the dishes.

"TV time!" he said as helped her stand up. "Care to hop?"

She shook her head.

"What? Want me to carry you to the living room?"

She nodded happily.

Boomer laughed but did as asked. She picked her up, slung her over his shoulder, and carried her to the couch.

She vowed that once she could talk, she's gonna tell him to carry him like a bride, on his arms.

He carefully placed her on the couch.

"I wonder what's on TV? It's Saturday morning, so there ought to be a lot of cartoons," he said as he switched on the TV.

He channel surfed until something caught the attention of Boomer.

"Mmmmpphhhh!" she said loudly.

"You want to watch that?" asked Boomer. " _Puppet Pals_?"

She nodded.

"Nice! I also watch Puppet Pals, but my brothers think it's stupid. I thought you'd think it was stupid too!"

She vigorously shook her head. How can _Puppet Pals_ be stupid? It's the most beautiful show there was!

He surfed back, settling on _Puppet Pals_.

And the two blondes enjoyed watching TV, and Bubbles, inadvertently, leaned on Boomer, her head resting on his shoulder, and he rested his head on hers.

* * *

 _ **75 (264). Where is Bubbles?**_

 _Meanwhile…_

"Bubbles! Bubbles, where are you?" Blossom called as she looked around the room. Where could her youngest sister be? She went to their room, and expected her to be drawing and coloring, but when she went to ask something of her, she was gone.

What she wanted was not really important. But where was Bubbles? Maybe her youngest sister was playing a trick. She looked around. At the ceiling. Under the bed. And the round oval windows.

It was open.

Of course! She flew away. But where was she if that was the case? Where could she have gone to without bothering to tell her sisters?

The Rowdyruff home! Since it was about three days since she delivered a letter, she would want to visit their home. After all, she spoke so nicely about the house and forest around it and the fun she had. Probably she was playing some rough game that the redhead would disapprove.

Speaking of letters, why hasn't Brick replied yet? Three days was too long! Did Brick even read her last letter? Probably. She was starting to regret what she wrote.

…

* * *

She went downstairs and spotted Buttercup playing video games. It was a little too violent for Blossom's taste. Something about killing zombies and monsters. Hasn't Buttercup gotten enough of those in the real world?

"Have you seen Bubbles?" asked Blossom.

"No. She's not in the room?"

"She's not. Maybe she went out."

"Probably went to the boys."

"You're right. It's most likely. She couldn't wait for them to come here," said Blossom as she flew out of the door.

She wondered what she would do. She still hoped that the boys would come and play with them. Or at least call the girls and invite them instead. She imagined what games they would do. Perhaps more tea parties? Trying to imagine them doing so wasn't so funny after the last time the boys participated in a Tea Party. It was quite normal and became like just any other snack time. And they were actually polite and well-mannered! Ms. Keane taught them well.

Or perhaps playact? Would Bubbles make her Empress to Brick's Emperor once more? It was ridiculous, but it made her giggle just the same. Brick just shrugged as if that didn't mean anything, and maybe to a seven-year-old boy, it did not. But to Blossom, it did. Or at least she thought it did. But she hoped she was wrong.

She looked at across the street and saw Robin Snyder's house. Was Robyn there? Maybe she should see if she wants to play.

She floated, and passed under a tree at the edge of their yard, just beside the street.

* * *

 _ **76 (265). Lookout on the Tree**_

…

 _Meanwhile…_

Brick watched in amusement as Boomer grabbed Bubbles, and hid in the closet when Blossom went to the Powerpuff room.

He and Butch were on the branches of the tree in front of the Powerpuff Home. The leaves were full and thick enough to be able to afford them a hiding place in the middle of the suburbs. He and Butch went there when Boomer went inside the white square house.

"You think Pinky's gonna catch him?" asked Butch as they used their x-ray vision to watch the scene unfold.

"Hopefully, not. I don't want a full fight or struggle," Brick whispered.

They watched as Blossom wandered around the room, finally getting out. Then saw Boomer carry Bubbles off.

"Told you Bubbles wasn't going to be a problem," Brick said. "She could easily have given themselves away to Blossom."

"Yeah. But what about Blossom?" asked Butch, "And Buttercup?"

"I'll worry about Blossom," the redhead said, "and you worry about Buttercup."

"Buttercup would be a problem. She won't ever take this lying down."

"I know. I'm sure you'll find a way. I'll take Blossom first. Then after I secured her, I'll go with you when you grab Buttercup."

"Don't think I could do it?"

"You think you could by yourself?"

"I'm not sure," Butch admitted. "It would be a struggle, and I might have to hurt her."

"Don't hurt her! This would only work if we don't give cause for them to be mad at us aside from kidnapping and tying them up," said Brick.

"What if she fights?" asked Butch.

"Then don't make a move until I'm with you."

"Quiet! Pinky's here!" Brick said as they saw the door open and the Pink Puff step out of her house. "Remember what I said?"

"Yeah. Keep myself out of sight of Pinky while you kidnap her, as long as you don't need my help."

"Right!"

Brick looked at her as she walked around as if she was not sure of what she'll do. He could see that she was in deep thought. Good. At least she would be so caught up in what's in her head that she would not notice two boys hiding in her tree—especially one boy who was wearing bright red.

Stupid Brick! Why didn't he change into something more camouflaged? Butch at least, with his green outfit, fit in perfectly with the leaves. If Blossom weren't so absorbed in whatever she was thinking about, then she would quickly spot him, even with the thick leaves, if she only laid her eyes on the tree.

She looked at the house across the street, and stopped her movement, and stood still. She was thinking.

Then decided to move to the other house.

Which meant she would go under the tree.

Perfect!

Now he was nervous. How would Blossom react? He was so caught up in what Buttercup would do that he neglected to think of what would his counterpart do. Will she fight him? Perhaps not. But if she proved difficult, Butch was there to help him subdue the leader of the Powerpuff Girls.

But he was confident that whatever would happen, she would think that what Brick was doing was merely a game.

But would Pinky want to play? It doesn't matter. She'll end up like Bubbles for Teacher's sake no matter how she reacts.

* * *

 _ **77 (266). Taking Blossom**_

She was thinking of what Robyn may be up to as she passed under the tree when it happened.

She felt a hand go round her torso, trapping her left arm by it, and grabbing her right. The other hand clamped over her mouth, pulling her against someone, and she was pulled up to the tree.

She struggled as her assailant was very strong, his grip surprisingly tight, until he whispered, "I'm kidnapping you. Don't try to fight me."

 _It was Brick!_

She stopped struggling as she tried to think.

Was he turning evil! Why was he doing this? Wasn't he pretending to be good? What about their agreement?

Then she realized that maybe he was playing a game?

 _Yes, a game!_ The same game that Boomer played with Bubbles. Wait, why was Brick playing this game?

Would she want to play this game? Or maybe not? Should she say she doesn't want to? But she's curious. _But it would be unseemly for the leader of the Powerpuff Girls to be helpless, even if in a game_.

Then she realized that the front door got opened. It was Buttercup!

But the middle puff didn't know that they were there. She should scream. Even with Brick's hand on her mouth, she could produce sounds that would attract her attention.

She should call her. She will call her.

She prepared to scream.

And her mouth refused to do so. Why can't she?

Perhaps because she was still debating whether or not she would play Brick's game? And that she wanted to keep her options open?

So the leader of the Powerpuff Girls did nothing while Buttercup stood under the tree.

"Blossom!" she called.

Blossom sighed. She would grant this favor to Brick. He hoped that he would be grateful to her! He never would be able to kidnap her if she didn't cooperate.

She continued to be absolutely still and quiet as her sister, for a minute or so, stood under the tree, looking every which way but up, until finally, she went back.

 _No! Don't leave me here with Brick!_ She wanted to scream, but oddly enough, she didn't.

Perhaps she will play the game, after all.

Then she felt herself being dragged across the sky, towards their home.

She _really_ was being kidnapped. _Not really_ , it was a game, she knew, she was playing, but she was being kidnapped nonetheless, for real!

 _C'mon, Blossom! You're being kidnapped. At least pretend to struggle! Don't let him get away with it this easy!_

But she didn't struggle from his grip, no matter how much her mind screamed at her to do so. She hung limply on his arms, playing the helpless damsel.

Perhaps because she knew that it was all in good fun, that she was also having a good time too, that she really didn't mind playing this game. But what about the issue of not letting the leader of the Powerpuff Girls be a helpless captive?

It was too late, she decided.

They entered the house through a window into what was most certainly Brick's room. The room was painted red. The floor was covered with a soft red carpet. And the big bed was wrapped in red blankets. On the walls were some bookshelves, that surprisingly, contained only a few books-a math book, a couple on history, one on English, and one in science. Did he do all his reading in the public library?

The walls were bare, with no posters on it. There was a big picture of him in a suit, a picture of the three boys with Ms. Keane, and another family picture with Mojo Jojo.

On the corner was a table with her letter on it-she recognized her handwriting. And beside it was another letter, with his handwriting, and a pen. It was only half-finished. She was dying to learn what Brick wrote. But she knew that she wouldn't get a chance to read it before he gave it to her.

On another corner were some toys. There was a small robot, some matchbox cars, and a plastic sword.

* * *

 _ **78 (267). Tying Blossom**_

But what really grabbed her attention was a coil of rope on the carpet, a roll of duct tape, and some handkerchiefs.

Her heart sank as she knew what was coming next.

She was finally let go of, and she was put on the bed.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked as soon as she could talk.

"I am evil."

"That's not an answer."

"It is for me," he said as he prepared the rope. He grabbed a short orange one and approached Blossom.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm tying you up," he said in a matter-of-factly tone.

"Why?"

"Because I would be a very sorry kidnapper if I didn't," he replied as he tied a short orange rope on her right arm, over her bare skin. She was wearing her usual short-sleeved pink dress.

Then he got a longer piece of rope and went behind her. He pulled both her arms behind her.

And she again began to panic. _Say something! Don't let him do to you what Boomer did to Bubbles!_

"You are not going to get away with it!" she said, but otherwise, did nothing, allowing him to tie her wrists together, crossed, behind her.

 _Too late, Blossom!_ she told herself as she experimentally tugged. It held.

"The orange rope took away your powers," he said as he got another, longer piece of rope, tying it around her waist and hands, pinning her hands to the small of her back. Then another rope was tied around her shoulders. Then finally, her ankles, and her knees.

He got the handkerchief and balled it into a wad.

And stopped.

"Look Pinky. I'm giving you one last chance. Do you really want to play this kidnapping game?" he said with deadly earnestness, his red eyes looking at her, dropping all play-acting, "because if you say yes, you will remain our captive until we decide to free you, and nothing you say or do will change that."

It was her chance to stop this entire thing. She will be free!

Free!

Free!

But should she?

After all, it was just innocent playing. And yesterday, she invited him and his brothers to play with them. He did say, as a reply, that he perhaps would play with her for the day. And he was! Only it was a totally unexpected game that she did not entirely approve.

But she did not entirely disapprove of it, either.

And she was touched that Brick will go all the way just to play with her. And she was genuinely curious about what they had planned for them.

She knew she was safe too.

What harm could it do?

"Yes, I'd love to play your game," she said. "And you vile fiend! You'd never get away with this!"

He smiled. "I'm so glad you said yes. But just so you'd know, I wouldn't have let you go even if you said no. You really had no choice."

"You're bluffing!" she said. "You'd let me go if I didn't want to play this game."

"Why did you think I waited until you're helpless until I asked you? And want kind of kidnapper would ask permission from his captive if she wants to remain a captive?"

"You just did. Oh and by the way, where are your books? I refuse to believe that's all you owned. You're too smart to have that few books!"

"Oh, most of my books are in the library downstairs. The books here are the ones I'm currently reading,"

"You have a library?"

"Oh yes. All our books, even comic books, are there."

"Oh I would love to see it!" said Blossom.

"We'll see," said Brick as he put the wad of handkerchief in front of her face. "Open up!"

"Wait! I got it! You want my new books! You want to have me ransomed for it!" she exclaimed.

"Maybe," he said smiling. "Now open up!"

"But before you do that," she said, "how long do you plan on keeping me captive?"

"Until the ransom's paid."

"Then let's make a deal. You'd do all that I ask of you, and be extra nice, I mean nicer than you usually are to me. Like how Boomer was to Bubbles when she was kidnapped, and I'll play nice in your game."

"Deal. But that won't do you any good, since you won't be able to ask me anything, since being tied and gagged is not negotiable," said Brick, smiling, holding the rolled up handkerchief in front of her mouth. "Open wide!"

"What if I refuse?"

"You don't have powers right now. I have. You won't want to know how I'm going to gag if you resist."

She pouted, hesitated a bit, stuck her tongue out at him, before opening her mouth.

* * *

 _ **79 (268). Silent Reunion**_

Brick carefully inserted the massive handkerchief inside her mouth, filling it completely. Then took another one and tied it across her mouth, trapping the cloth inside. He took the silver duct tape and wrapped it around her head over her mouth and over the cloth gag, about six times, very tightly, making it utterly impossible to work out on her own.

"There! Now you're all nice and wrapped up!" he said, sounding proud.

"MMmm mmpphh?" Blossom replied, meaning to say, _Now what?_ Then when she heard herself, she shook her head helplessly, not used to not understanding her own words. And it was very faint.

So how could she tell Brick what to do if she can't even talk? That was lousy bargaining on her part, and she can't do anything about it.

"Could you hop?" he asked.

She raised her eyebrows.

"Like this!" he demonstrated, putting his feet together and jumping.

Oh, she could do that. "Mpphhpp." _Yes._

"What?"

Now how could she answer that?

"MMMpphh mmphhhh mnnggg!" _Yes, you idiot! Can't you understand me?_

"Oh just nod if you want to say yes, and shake your head if you want to say no. Now, could you hop?"

She nodded.

"Good!" he said, helping her to stand. "Now hop. If you can do it well, we're going to have a walk."

Seeing that it's better than just sitting on the bed doing nothing, she hopped around the room.

"Very good," he said as he opened the door to his room. "Let's go."

He led her through the corridor, to the top of the stairs. As she hopped, she heard the sound of television from downstairs. _Puppet Pals. Who was watching_? _Probably, Boomer_ , she thought.

"Hm. That does pose a problem," he said, looking at the stairs. "I suppose you can't hop on the stairs?"

She looked at him incredulously and vigorously shook her head.

He then grabbed her and tossed her on his shoulder. He carried her down and again set her to her feet.

And walked into the living room.

She was tempted to hop away, and go where she wanted, but she was curious about who was in the living room. She followed him.

And her eyes widened.

On the couch was Boomer. But besides him, on his left, was her youngest sister, Bubbles. Bound and gagged as she was, leaning on Boomer, her head resting on his left shoulder, his head resting on hers.

"BBmmmphp!" _Bubbles!_ she said in surprise.

She turned her head, and her blue eyes widened. "Mpphhpph mmphhpp!" she replied, jumping from the couch to her feet.

What did Bubbles say?

The blonde hopped towards the puff leader, and Blossom jumped towards Bubbles.

So this was where Bubbles was! She was kidnapped too! At least she won't be alone! She won't be alone! She had someone to share this weird adventure with! And despite only seeing her that morning, Blossom was happy to see her! Very glad indeed! It made the game more fun and less stressful to have someone in the same boat as her.

Both of them hopped until they were close, and leaned against each other, as a substitute for hugging.

"Mmphhhp!" Bubbles said.

"Mmphhh!" _What did you say?_ Blossom tried to tell.

"Mmphphh!"

"Mmphhp!" _Never mind._

She looked at the TV and signaled her head to follow her, and she did. She hopped towards the couch and sat beside her.

…

* * *

Boomer looked at Brick. "Oh, so how did it go?"

"Perfect! It was easier than expected! She didn't put up any fight!" Brick said.

"Bubbles too was easy," said Boomer, standing up and moving towards Brick. "So only Buttercup's left?"

"Yes. And she's gonna be very difficult," he said. He looked at Blossom. "Pinky, Buttercup's going to be very difficult to get, right?"

…

* * *

She looked at him as if he'd gone crazy. She nodded vigorously. _Of course, it's going to be hard. Impossible! She won't ever consent to be kidnapped like Bubbles and me!_ she thought.

They're planning to get Buttercup. It can't end well. She'll fight, she'll struggle, she'll hurt the boys if they even attempt it.

But she tried to imagine her sister, bound and gagged like the two of them, and she shook her head. It would be too much.

And if they took Buttercup, who's going to pay the ransom? After all, the game was supposed to end when the ransom's paid, right?

* * *

"Are you done with Pink Eyes?" asked Butch through the watch of Brick.

"Yes. And Bubbles too," Brick replied as he went to the kitchen so the conversation won't be overheard by their captives. "How about Buttercup?"

"She hasn't gone out of the house, so I'm still stuck in the tree," said Butch.

"Good. Just stay there and spy on her. I'll join, and together, we'll think of a way to get her," said Brick.

"Thanks. Not that I can't take care of her by myself, but I'd have to hurt her," he said, "and you told me we can't do that."

"Yes. The girls must think that this really is a fun game and that we're only playing. That would go out the window if we hurt any of them," said Brick.

"I know. But what if she won't play?"

"Just like her sisters, s _he won't have a choice_ ," said Brick. "She will end up bound and gagged like them. It's Ms. Keane's life or her pride, you know."

"Yeah. I've been dying to get her too!" said Butch. "Get here, quick!" And the line went dead.

Boomer went to the kitchen and joined his brother. "So what's next? Buttercup, right?"

"What else. HIM said all the Powerpuff Girls. So yeah."

"Then what?"

"We can summon HIM as soon as Buttercup's tied up. HIM will release Ms. Keane. And I'll get someone to deliver the ransom. As long as it's not the Professor, it'll be fine. The Professor might think that we're really kidnapping them. You know how protective he could be of his daughters."

"You think Mitch Mitchelson could deliver it?" asked Boomer.

"What are you planning?"

"Well, Mitch will go to the Professor, ask for their stuff, and deliver it to us," said Boomer. "Then we can release girls."

"Not Mitch. Too risky. This is giving me a headache," said Brick. "I'll think of someone to deliver it."

"Why can't we just release them after Ms. Keane is free?" asked Boomer.

"Because we need to maintain the illusion that we're just playing a ransom game," said Brick. "So there needs to be a delivery of ransom. Or they'll get suspicious of the real reason."

"Oh!" said Boomer.

"So we're going to Butch!" said Brick. "It might need the three of us to kidnap Buttercup. She is the strongest and the toughest puff."

"The three of us? Me? You? and Butch?"

"With Buttercup, yes. All of us are needed."

"But I promised Bubbles that I won't leave her alone!" said Boomer, protested. "She might get mad if I leave!"

"But she has Blossom to keep her company. So she won't be alone!" Brick pointed out. "Still, yeah, I think it's better that you stay with them. They might get into trouble if we leave them alone, even like that."

"I'll be the best guard there is!" Boomer said.

"Yes. Now I need to think of a way to help Butch get Buttercup, without hurting her," said Brick as he walked away.

Everything was going according to plan. All because of Blossom's letter. He recalled how he got the idea.

…..

* * *

 ** _80 (269.) Flashback to the Night Before_**

 _**FLASHBACK**_

 _The night before…_

His eyes widened as he read her letter.

 _August 9, 2005_

 _Dear Brick Kenneth Charles Jojo, Leader of the RRB, etc.…_

 _I am sure Ms. Keane is fine and dandy. So don't worry about her. She just went for a short vacation. After all, it's near the start of school, and she wouldn't be able to have quality time with her family and be able to have a restful vacation once school starts._

 _So just be patient. Ms. Keane is a resourceful woman._

 _First of all, thank you for playing with us last night. Especially joining us at Tea Party. I know boys aren't supposed to like playing tea parties, but I made sure it's palatable to tough guys like you. And you had fun, admit it!_

 _And I really like the role-playing game! It was fun playing Empress to your Emperor, although that does not mean anything romantic, so put such notions out of your head. It was Bubbles who selected the roles, remember. Buttercup was so great! ROAR! I can still her act like a silly Ogre!_

 _As for kidnapping me, I'm too smart to be kidnapped by the likes of you! I'm not Bubbles! If you try, you'll fail! I am too resourceful a girl to fall for such tricks. Many villains have tried and failed! And even if you captured me, I can easily escape! Just try it, and I'll be free before you can even blink your eyes! In fact, I am so confident, that if you succeed and I failed, you may keep me tied up as long as the Professor allows or the ransom is paid. But you can't, as I am too resourceful, and a better escape artist than Bubbles!_

 _And yes, Bubbles cookies are to die for! And she only shares at Tea Time. It's so unfair that Boomer could demand it merely by kidnapping her and holding her for ransom!_

 _Blossom Catherine Lynn Utonium, Leader of the PPG, etc…_

* * *

He stared at the letter, not believing his eyes. Was Pinky daring him?

Of course! He remembered Boomer kidnapping Bubbles earlier in the week, last Sunday!

He shouted, "EUREKA!" Blossom didn't know it, but she saved the agreement and Ms. Keane too!

He ran to his brothers and called them to his room.

"What?" asked Butch, stifling a yawn.

"I got it! I got it! I know what we are going to do!" Brick said excitedly.

"What?" Boomer asked.

"We're gonna kidnap the Powerpuff Girls! It's a crime. A serious one!"

Boomer smiled. "Yes! And the girls would think we're just playing a game!"

"That would be fine for Bubbles," Butch objected. "But you think Blossom and Buttercup would play along?"

"Pinky would," said Brick, showing his brothers Blossom's letter.

"Why, that girl is daring us to practically kidnap her!" Butch said as he read the letter.

"Not really. It's just hot air. She probably thinks we won't do it!" Brick said.

"But if the girls think we're playing a game, won't HIM think that too, and think that we're not really committing a crime?" Boomer asked. "After all, I did kidnap Bubbles before, and nobody thought that was anything but play."

"Well, HIM told us that he was doing something else and that he really didn't watch over us that time," Brick recalled. "So he can't have known about that game. So it would be a novel thing for HIM to see us abduct them and tie them up."

"But he could guess that it is a game! What if HIM notices we're just playing a game?" Butch asked.

"That's a risk," said Brick. "HIM must think we're serious, not playing a game. The girls must think the opposite. So we need to keep it as realistic as possible to fool HIM, but not so realistic to fool the girls."

"But Buttercup would not take kindly to it!" said Butch. "Blossom and Bubbles would be fine, I guess, but not my counterpart."

"Yes, but if Bubbles and Blossom are on board, they can work on Buttercup," said Brick. "Anyway, I have a plan. Listen. Tomorrow morning…"

**END OF FLASHBACK**

…

* * *

 _Back to the morning of the kidnapping…_

Brick smiled at the memory. Blossom unknowingly provided such a perfect solution. But if HIM found out it was not really an actual kidnapping…

Compared to the previous two crimes, this was a gray area. Before, they actually committed a real crime! Not a pretend crime! What if HIM found out that this so-called crime it was all pretend?

He shook his head. What they did was _a real kidnapping_!

Real!

After all, they were tied and gagged and held against their will. Even if they decide they won't want to play, they would still remain captive. Hopefully, it won't come to that, and they would consent to play until it was over. It won't be long now. They just need to get the green puff. Hopefully, without too much trouble.

But what if, when HIM saw the girls, they would be asked by HIM if the boys committed an actual crime? His heart sank. The girls would tell HIM that it was all a game, and everything would be ruined.

How could he get out of such a dilemma?

End of Chapter 8

As always, please do me a favor and review if you've read this chapter. Reviews really lighten my day and makes me very happy. Thank you very much for reading!

* * *

 **Author Notes**

To **RuffnPuffLover,**

 _I can see why it's called "Calm Before The Storm", because that third task at the end of the chapter is truly so evil and so incredibly low of HIM to dish up! Gets me at the edge of my seat cause Brick sees that there's no way out of this. He wanted to make his plan perfect apparently with no loopholes the boys can't exploit. What a cliffhanger this chapter ended up as! I'm looking forward to seeing the crisis point pop up for this story, wonderful work here! :)_

Thank you. And this was how Brick tried to solve the problem. But it doesn't fully solve it, as there are a hundred ways that HIM could see through the trick. Because unlike in the first two tasks, Brick wasn't really committing a real crime here. So let's hope HIM would not see through the scheme.

* * *

To **DPSS,**

 _My sugestion for this is the same I made a few chapters back. Freaking kidnap them! It would technicaly be a very serious crime comited against their own person and they would know it was the boys who did it but them sou Lda think it was all a game. There, done._

Oh yes, that was a very logical solution, and one that the boys did as their only alternative. But it was very risky. Because if the girls did not think it was a crime, then it won't really fulfill one of the conditions. Brick needed HIM to believe they really kidnapped the girls, and were just playing a game with them. Because if it's just a game, then HIM could claim that they were really committing a real crime.

* * *

To **Groudon2002** ,

 _It's been four chapters since my last in-depth review? Welp, I guess it's time for another one!_

 _So, since the last chapter, where Ms. Keane was kidnapped, we've progressed through the first two of three tasks the boys must do to free her from Him's clutches. The boys found loopholes on both occasions to perform the tasks without the girls knowing they did either. But this time, it truly seems like Him has thought of everything, closing off all loopholes. Now, I can think of the best way for them to go about this, but it doesn't mean the boys will realise it. They are kids, despite their smarts, after all. So I'm sure the next chapter will truly ramp up the conflict!_

I'm not sure if what the boys did was what you thought is the best way for them. And their current plan has full of holes, but to their mind, it was the only possible solution. They need the girls to be kept in ignorance of what's really going on, and HIM should think that they really are truly kidnapping the girls, and not playing a game.

 _Most of the usual stuff from before applies. The story's keeping me reading, coming back, all that. Using Canon characters correctly too is nice, as before. I was even surprised by the brief appearance of the Gnome! Unlike with Stanley and Sandra Practice, the Gnome's episode, despite being from the "Seasonal Rot" of the original series, is pretty much unanimously agreed to be the highlight from the post-movie episodes, and even to stand with the best episodes of the whole series. So it was a cameo I very much appreciated. No idea whether he'll factor into the story or whether he was just there to give Him someone to talk to briefly so we could hear his thoughts (though given your written style, you'd give us Him's thoughts anyway even were he alone, so I doubt it), but it caught my attention._

As for the Gnome, I wouldn't want to spoil anything, but he would have a major role later on in the story. Think of his appearance a Chekov's gun.

 _What criticism will I bring up this time? Well... ever heard of the phrase "show don't tell"? A bit more of that wouldn't go amiss. Now, it can only apply so much to fanfiction, of course. The reason I often find it hard to say a lot in these reviews is because you tell us everything, leaving very little to our imagination. And I'm not one for just repeating what was stated pretty clearly in the story when it comes to reviews._

 _Let's take the Second Task that was performed last chapter, the theft of the hotline. Both prior to the theft, as they plan it with Mojo, and as they carry it out, every detail is told to us directly, either through dialogue or otherwise. That's leads to repetition, and the reader being felt like they're being talked down to._

 _It's a well-used trope that a plan should only be explained to the audience if, when executed, it DOESN'T go as planned, either for comedic or dramatic effect. In 'Just Another Manic Mojo', that is precisely the case, with Mojo ranting about his 'scheme' to himself to destroy the girls while they wait on his couch for their ball to be returned to them, and he keeps getting hilariously foiled. The plan needs to be explained, so we can see where and how and why it slips up._

 _So, getting back to here, what if, upon Brick telling Mojo of the idea to take the hotline, Mojo paused, is struck by inspiration, and beckons the boys closer as he explains, but it cuts away before we hear anything. That tells us, clear as crystal, that we will see the plan executed in due time. Then, as regards the actual plan, only have Mojo reveal his sabotage of the truck on the highway to us, the readers, AFTER we have seen it in person. Otherwise, the traffic build-up and part where the girls fix it lacks any tension or surprise. For the break-in, keep dialogue to a minimum, probably in the form of brief statements between the boys and Mojo. A good example of a break-in type plan of this kind would be the episode 'Aspirations'. Ignoring the fact that it's way out-of-character for the Gangreen Gang to commit brilliant crimes, among other things, each artefact heist is executed with basically no dialogue, just revealing details to us piecemeal, one at a time. Trusting the audience to understand it, rather then giving them everything. Nothing wrong with revealing details later that we suspected, but give the reader time to mull on it. Do you get what I'm saying?_

 _Now, I'm not saying give your style a complete overhaul. But try to state less outright, through dialogue or descriptions. Leave room to the imagination, the audience doesn't need everything explained to them. That approach will save time and allow for less repetition, as well as quicker-paced scenes._

 _Anyway, that's my two-cents for how to further improve the piece this time. Less about the story, more about how it's being told. I don't claim to be an expert on the matter, but trust me, this approach can only help. Even if not all your readers realise it, or even don't want to admit it, they'll prefer that approach. Yes, fanfiction isn't exactly the same as novels in a book club, and fanfiction readers tend to obsess over what's happening as compared to everything else about how it's being told. But it matters to me, and it'll matter to you too. Give it a go - you'd be surprised how well it would work._

Thank you for the advice. Though to be honest, the next several chapters were already written by the time chapter 7, was already posted, so please don't disappointed if it wasn't immediately apparent. Though my preferences on how I write reflect how I want other stories to be, and I always believe that I can't write in a way if I myself wouldn't enjoy it. But yeah, your ideas are very good.

Though for the break, a lot of the dialogue is necessary by the nature of the shrinking device, as the boys needed to communicate with Mojo every time they wanted to become big or shrink. And for the other dialogue, there is a bit about Brick looking at the books of Blossom and Boomer mentioning that he should not borrow but kidnap Blossom and get the books for ransom. At that time, it seemed very random. But as you can see, it is not. It is very relevant, as this chapter revealed.

As for the plans sometimes being revealed before it is done, even without any flaw in the plan, I simply wanted Mojo Jojo to have more of a prominent role, and him speaking and revealing everything was one way, and make him more than a background character. As you can see, a lot of the things Brick does come from the mind of Mojo Jojo. And I want to show it. A lot of the brilliant things Brick has done would not be possible without the chimp around advising him what he should do.

And yeah, sometimes my style would both tell, and show. As tell something, then show it too. Sometimes, it gets repetitive, I would admit.

 _On a side note, I really loved the bit where Mojo and Professor bonded, kind of, over scientific subjects. Perfectly in character, and it's clearly your way of hinting at Mojo finding common ground with his 'enemies' once again, and how, eventually, he will reform too. We, as readers, don't mind expected outcomes if they're done right. But it wasn't overstated, you gave us just enough info and no more, especially as it also served the purpose of letting the girls and boys get bored by it and distance off to have their own discussion. It's true purpose was hidden, because it fulfilled another as well. So you're got the skill already for what I discussed above. Just apply that more to everything. Helped that it involved Mojo, forever and always my favourite character._

 _Keep at it, anyway, Tonifranz! I'm be right here, waiting for the next chapter._

Oh yes, and I would add that both have a history together. Whether or not he would actually and truly reform instead of just reforming for show would been seen. But yeah, reforming should be slow, not sudden and abrupt. Villains becoming 'good' is something that I feel should not be done for no reason. And should be gradual and slow and natural.

Anyway, thanks for the review, and the constructive criticism. Hopefully, I'm not too set in my ways for me to change!

* * *

To **Ash141** ,

 _This chapter was amazing! It really is the calm before the storm, the Boys better think fast because HIM is no longer playing around, Game Time is officially over!_

 _Aaaw Bubbles and Boomer are so cute, Bubbles definitely knows what she wants, and Boomer is trying to cope. The Reds though! They shared a book and it was too adorable for words (of course Blossom accidentally ruined the moment but it wasn't her fault because she didn't know)! I always thought that Blossom was somewhat insecure, especially when it comes to her leadership skills. The way I've always pictured her social life is that she's incredibly intelligent especially in school but the other students feel threatened by that so they avoid her during free time, BC and Bubs both have their own groups of friends they even each have a best friend but Blossom doesn't because everyone thinks she's a showoff and a know-it-all, so while her sisters are off during recess doing their own things with their friends Blossom is sitting somewhere by herself reading a book, she may seem content and happy but she's probably really lonely, which is why she's so animate about Brick coming to school, so she won't be the only extremely intelligent student there and won't be alone anymore, it's also why she wants him as a friend._

 _Anyway, fantastic chapter, I can't wait for the next one! Until next time._

 _~Ash141_

Thanks. Yeah, the blues are adorable, though Boomer was too young to realize how he lucky he was. And it would show in this chapter too. As for Blossom and Brick, yup, they shared a hobby of reading, and I'm glad you found the library scene adorable. It was one of my favorite things to write too.

I agree with Blossom, though what I feel is that in school, the other students might feel threatened by her, but they all adore her (and her sisters) for being the girl who repeatedly saved their lives, and did awesome things (except for some like Princess, who hate her). That of course, would create a distance between the girls and the rest of the students. It's how they would manage such distance. Bubbles, I would assume, have the best way of managing such. But Blossom might not have the social skills to do it.

Many students would try to get close to her and to become her friend solely for the reason that she is a famous superhero, and that being Blossom's friend would give them benefits. And that would offset the students who avoid her because of that. But that brings another reason. How can she tell which are her true friends, and which just wanted to attach themselves to the most famous and powerful girl in school?

Of course, she wanted Brick to come to school so she could gauge how smart he is, and someone who won't be awed by her status as superhero and leader.

Once again, Ash141, thanks.

* * *

To **AgentCSX** ,

 _I was actually wondering where HIM was throughout the first segment of this story._

 _Finally caught up to this story. Yay..?_

 _Ah, so I'm assuming Ms. Keane wants to form some sort of superhero alliance between the kids, and seeing as how they interact with each other, especially Buttercup and Butch, it's very controversial how they'd get along. (Boomer, you poor thing...)_

 _Finally...HIM... I can only describe him as really hard to like, yet really hard to dislike. Weird, huh? The Rowdyruff Boys are screwed. I cannot think of one way they'll successfully do this without severing the relationship the Boys have with the Powerpuffs, unless they can somehow convince them hard enough without actually breaking HIM's rules...somehow..._

 _Looking forward to the next chapter, not sure how often you update, but I hope it's soon!_

First of all, thank you for reading this tale, and An Education for Power. Your review brought a smile to my face.

And yes, the purpose of this story is to settle the issue of HIM in the lives of the boys.

Yup. Ms Keane wanted an alliance of sorts, and at this point in time, it's not feasible. But who knows what will happen in the future?

And yeah, let's see if Brick's current plan will hold.

As for how often I update, I usually update every two weeks. But sometimes, I update after a week. It depends on availability of time.

* * *

To **William F Somebody,**

 _It really is the calm before the storm. Let's see. The boys and the girls are having a final period of peace, before the inevitable clash, for I cannot see anything but a clash between the boys and girls. Hopefully, the girls won't take it against the boys._

 _Still, it was brilliant run for the boys, the way they ran circles around HIM and technically did all that he asked for them. But now, it seems, all loopholes were closed._

 _Looking forward to how the boys would get out of this._

 _Please update soon!_

Brick pulled another rabbit from his hat. Could it actually work though? Could it fool both HIM and the girls?

We'll see.

* * *

To **John,**

 _Another great chapter! Thanks!_

Thanks.


	9. II (VI) - Buttercup's Adventures

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Powerpuff Girls. It is owned and created by Craig McCraken, and by Cartoon Network.

* * *

 **An Education From HIM**

Peace reigns between the Powerpuff Girls and Rowdyruff Boys. Even as the boys claims that they remain evil, they become close to their counterparts, becoming penpals and playmates to each other. Yet HIM watches, and vows to shatter their peace. Chapter 9. The boys had kidnapped Blossom and Bubbles. Now only Buttercup remains free. It would be a far tougher challenge for the boys.

 **Book II (VI)**

 **The Tasks**

* * *

 **Chapter IX (XXVIII)**

 **Buttercup's Adventures**

 _Please, please, leave a review. Thank you._

 _ **81 (270). How to Get Buttercup**_

 _Meanwhile…_

Butch was sitting on the tree outside the Utonium home, waiting for his chance. It was his job to nab Buttercup, but it was not easy. Boomer was the lucky one. Bubbles was only too willing to play kidnap victim. Brick, surprisingly, was also fortunate. Blossom did not put any resistance at all, despite fears that she would be difficult. The leader of the Powerpuff Girls, it turned out, wanted to play too!

But as for his counterpart, Buttercup, he had no illusions. She was, among the three girls, the most reluctant to be friendly with them. Even Pink Eyes was very friendly with Brick, writing letters to him and he writing back. But as for the green-eyed girl?

Nothing.

Except when they all played together in the Utonium house. But that did not count, since all of them had to play.

And he barely knew her. The only interaction he had with Buttercup was fighting. Granted, he loved fighting with her, but still, that was hardly a sound basis to establish a friendly relationship. Especially as among the boys, he had been the most reluctant to come into agreement with the girls. As far as he was concerned, being permanent enemies of the Powerpuff Girls was no hardship. In fact, he would have welcomed such development, as it would give him a chance to practice his love of violence.

But Brick made his decision on that matter, so he was bound by the most solemn of oaths to uphold it.

That didn't mean he would go out of his way to be friendly with the girls, or even his counterpart, like his brothers, had been with their counterparts.

Boomer had been appalling! The way he was acting with Bubbles was undignified! Unmanly! Not worthy of a Rowdyruff Boy! And Boomer claimed that he didn't even like the Girl Bubbles! He shuddered to think what his youngest brother would do if he decided he liked her after all.

At least Brick was dignified in his dealings with Pink Eyes. But he was hardly better. Their great leader gave in in almost every negotiating point to his counterpart. Apologize? Brick gave in. Go to school? Brick gave in. Playing with the girls? Brick gave in. Perhaps that was why their counterparts were too willing to play captive.

No wonder HIM thought that they could get at them by making them break the agreement with the girls.

Only Buttercup remained aloof. She stayed distant, and she remained unfriendly, with the Rowdyruff Boys.

And it wasn't going to change anytime soon.

Which was fine for Butch.

He checked his x-ray vision. Buttercup was still sitting on that damned couch, holding that bloody controller, playing with that wonderful and violent game, killing zombies!

Oh, he loved that game. He had one at home. It was almost as good as actually fighting his brothers! It gave him a rush for violence when there was no actual violence to be had. Too bad it had become too easy. Fighting the game was predictable. And both Boomer and Brick sucked at it. He was the champion of the Zombie game!

Nobody could touch him! Which was a problem. It was not any more enjoyable without a challenge.

He shook his head. The Baron of Berserk observed his counterpart, wondering how to take Buttercup without hurting her. Oh, he could quickly subdue her. But that involved punching her or knocking her out. Not that he had qualms about hurting her, but big bros orders were explicit—they should not hurt the girls so that they would think it was an innocent game, and not a real kidnapping.

"So how's it going?"

He looked behind him, and he nearly jumped. How did his brother sneak up on him from behind? Probably because he was focused too much on her that he did not notice what was going on around him.

"Still the same. She won't move," said Butch, resuming his vigil.

"Don't worry. She'll be ours," said Brick. "Get ready to grab her."

"She'll fight us. And I may have to hurt her."

"You're strong enough to hold her if you get the advantage," said Brick. "Grab her from behind."

"Not that I mind, but it would be tough to drag her home and tie her up even if I do that," said Butch. "And how could we take her? Are we gonna just go barge in and take her guns blazing?"

"We'll have to surprise her," said Brick. "Listen, I have a plan."

…

* * *

 _ **82 (271). Buttercup's in the House**_

"Take that, you evil zombie!" Buttercup shouted as he pressed her controller, and her character shot the remaining zombie still walking.

LEVEL 16 COMPLETE was shown in big letters on the television connected to her play station.

"Yeah!" she yelled, slamming her fist on the controller. That it didn't break was because Professor Utonium designed a unique game controller that could withstand being handled by a Powerpuff.

She had completed level 16, beating her previous record, and a level none of her sisters ever reached. In fact, they were so poor that the furthest that they ever reached was level 9—that was Blossom. Bubbles hadn't even reached level 4. And both had not enjoyed the game—it was too violent!

Well, she was a Powerpuff Girl! They were suppose to live for the violence, and revel in it! That was why she enjoyed beating up monsters the most. And that was why among the criminals, she was the most feared among the girls. The bad guys would be hurt the most when it was her punches and kicks and laser that hit them. Nobody could withstand her power and strength.

Except for those idiots, the Rowdyruff Boys! She had a rude wake-up call when those guys arrived! Those guys beat her where it mattered the most—in power and strength in a fair fight. They—the Powerpuff Girls—had to resort to cheap tricks to beat those boys! Kissing them! Mocking them! Making them have fun with ships, tanks, and planes! Bah! She wanted to beat them, to make them feel pain, to inflict violence upon them, in a straight fight.

Yet more often than not, it was she who felt the pain, who became the victim of violence.

She wasn't a typical girl. She was tough. She was an action girl. She was proud that not only was she the toughest Powerpuff, not only was she the toughest girl, but she was also the toughest, period. No one, no boy, no villain, could be as tough, as invincible in a fight, as Buttercup.

She figured that was the reason Blossom would not countenance a fight between the girls as training or even entertainment. Blossom knew that she could not beat the toughest fighter in any fight! She was scared! Any concern for the barbarity or a fight being uncivilized was just a smokescreen of her fear of being bested by her!

Then the boys arrived, and Buttercup wasn't anymore the toughest. She could have borne it better if her counterpart, Butch, was the only one who could beat her in a fight, as that would validate her world-view. For she recognized in Butch a kindred spirit—a warrior, a lover of violence for violence sake, who was unfortunate in being a Rowdyruff Boy.

But all three boys bested her! Boomer, Boomer—Bubbles' counterpart, who if he really was Bubbles' counterpart, was supposed to be weak, knocked her out by swinging that blasted bat on her head! Not once, but twice! Granted, the first time when in the library, she was hit behind her unexpectedly, and on the second, during the last fight, Brick held her while Boomer crashed his accursed bat on her head, but still! Boomer had an attack that could quickly incapacitate her!

But worse was Brick. Their fight wasn't much of a fight. She never had a chance. She never even landed a single blow while he toyed with her, mocked her, made her most strenuous efforts, most potent attacks, into laughable attempts. He was able to attack her at will, and she was helpless to prevent it

He made her feel so useless, so weak, so pathetic! And she hated it.

What were the implications? That since Blossom was Brick's counterpart, that Buttercup could not beat Blossom in a fair fight?

She could not bear the thought, so she repeatedly challenged her leader to a fight ever since, which Blossom rejected every time, with moralistic sanctimonious reasoning that Buttercup could not stand! _It's barbaric, its evil!_ _We can use computer simulations if it's training that you want!_ Perhaps Blossom knew she would wipe the floor with Buttercup and she just wanted to spare Buttercup's feelings?

That was worse! Buttercup was not the object of anyone's pity!

That was why among the three Powerpuffs, it was she was the least receptive to the agreement with the Rowdyruff Boys. She only went along with it because she realized that they had no other choice. It hurt her to admit it, but they can't beat the boys in battle, nor outsmart them, so they might as well make the best of it.

Her sisters had not put much stock in their physical superiority, so it had not been difficult for them to accept the new order of Townsville. Bubbles was all about friendship, and being nice, while Blossom was all about peace, law, and order. So as long as the boys at least pretended to be good, they would enthusiastically forget the past and become close to them.

She was different. She was all about being the strongest and most powerful, and until she could regain that distinction, she can never rest content. And she can never ever be friendly to those who usurped her title.

Never!

Now was the time to gloat, so tell her sisters that she had reached a previously unreachable level! Won't they be surprised? Won't they be jealous?

* * *

 _ **83 (272). Abduction**_

"BUBBLES! BLOSSOM!" she shouted.

And she waited, pausing the game so that the first thing they would see was "LEVEL 16 COMPLETE".

There was no reply.

"BUBBLES! BLOSSOM! Get your butts right here!" she shouted excitedly.

Still no reply from her sisters.

That's just like them! Ignoring her when she had her triumphs! As they grew up, they became, as boys would say, more sissies, and would shrink from violence unless its actual combat with villains and criminals and training in their training room. How could one be violent while doing one's job and not be violent in their entertainments?

Well, she'll show them! She'll drag them down from whatever it was they were doing—she was sure it was not more important than her video game triumph.

She went to her room, and shouted, "Are you two deaf? Can't you hear—"

She opened the door and found… No one.

Huh? All this time, she thought they were there. So where could they be?

She searched the house. Nothing.

No wonder they can't be found. They sneaked off to God knows where.

Did the hotline ring? Did the two of them decide to save the day without their middle sister?

No, they wouldn't do that. They would always call her in case the Powerpuff Girls were needed.

 _Where did you two run off too?_ she asked. Then she stopped. She remembered Blossom stating that she invited the boys to play that day. She wasn't overly enthusiastic, but since the last time they all played together, it had been great fun, she didn't mind. The middle puff would have to challenge one of them to her Zombie game, and she was certain that she would wipe the floor with them. No one can touch her on that level!

 _Did the two run off to the Rowdyruff home without me?_ she asked herself as she began pacing. _They wouldn't! They know I'd refuse, but at least they should have the courtesy of asking me first!_

Maybe they were outside, playing? Yes, they're in the yard, doing some jumping rope or whatever it was they wanted to do.

She looked at the clock. It was nine in the morning. She didn't realize it was still so early!

She opened the door of her house and searched the yard.

Nothing. Nobody.

Maybe they were at Robyn's house?

Yeah. That's it! They're next door! But why haven't they asked her if she wanted to play too?

Well, she's going to give them a piece of her mind when she sees them!

She flew towards Snyder home, passing under a tree in their yard…

And someone grabbed her. A hand across her waist, trapping both hands against her body, and another hand clamping over her mouth, muffling whatever protest she might make.

She was pulled towards the tree.

And she struggled. She twisted every bit of her body.

But whoever grabbed her was strong! So strong that he could hold her, and…

"Don't struggle," a voice said. It was Butch! "I'm going to kidnap you!"

Then everything made sense! The boys kidnapped her sisters! And now they were coming for her!

She knew those boys were really evil! She knew they cannot become good! The toughest fighter was right!

Well, she won't take this lying down!

She swung her head backward, and she felt the back of her head crash against Butch's forehead, then she swung her foot backward, and hit his shin. She smiled as she felt the impact, even as her head also got hurt from her headbutt.

"Ouch! Oh, stop that! You're hurting me!" Butch said as she felt his grip loosen.

That's right! One more and she would be able to break free…

Then her heart sank as Brick appeared in front of her holding a short orange rope.

Which he tied around her bare elbows.

And she felt her powers disappear, and the grip of Butch became much tighter.

She again swung her head backward, and she again hit him, but it had no effect. No effect even on her. Weird.

Still, she will not give up, even as she knew it was lost.

Brick floated in front of her, and smirked, "You can try, but you know you're ours!"

"That's right Butters! Don't make it harder for yourself!"

And at that, they flew towards the forest, Buttercup futilely struggling all the way, not giving an inch.

She needed to find a way! She needed to escape for the sake of her sisters, for the world! The boys were returning to evil, and it was no game!

 _Game_?

Wait! What if they were merely playing a game? Then she remembered that Boomer had kidnapped Bubbles before, and they released her upon the delivery of ransom of Bubbles' book and her cookies.

 _Of course!_ The boys weren't stupid enough to think that they could get away with becoming evil once more!

Well, if it's a game, then she won't play! She was not Bubbles who would tamely submit to being a captive by stupid Rowdyruffs! She would make it difficult for them!

And she would refuse to play!

That's it! She would say no, and they would have to let her go! Let her own sisters play if they want to! Buttercup won't consent to be a damsel-in-distress!

She still continued to struggle, even if she knew it was futile, for the sake of form.

* * *

 _ **84 (273). Subduing the Green Puff**_

They entered the house through a window, into what she guessed by the color scheme to be Butch's room. The walls were dark green. On the bed was a dark green blanket. And the floor was covered with a thick green Persian carpet. There was a table with an open _Batman_ comic on it, and she briefly wondered what issue it was, as she saw the Joker and Batman engaged in a cat and mouse game. Then there was a small shelf with a sheaf of comic books on it. _X-men, Galactus, Major Glory._ Her eyes widened when she saw that he even had a _Powerpuff Girls_ comics. Then more shockingly, besides it, was a _Rowdyruff Boys_ comics.

Since when did the boys have their own comic book?

She was thrown to the floor, and she noted, as she lay on her stomach, that the carpet was very soft. Butch sat on her butt, his heavy frame making it impossible for her to get up without her powers. He grabbed both her flailing hands and pulled it behind her, pinning it together behind the small of her back, in the process letting go her mouth.

"LET GO OF ME! I'M GONNA GET YOU FMMPPH!"

Brick covered her mouth, but she kept struggling. She knew they cannot do anything to her unless she cooperated.

The door opened, then closed, and her heart shrank when she saw Boomer. Three against one! She was screwed.

"You got her!" the blond exclaimed. "Was it hard?"

"Yeah. She actually headbutted Butch here and kicked her in the shins! I swear that if I weren't there, he would've hurt her!" Brick said.

"I'M GONNA MAKE YOU PAY, YOU MMPHP!" she shouted once Brick momentarily took his hand away, but the ruff leader quickly put it back on her mouth, his other hand pressed against the back of her head.

"A little help here?" he said, looking at Boomer.

She struggled once more, but she knew she was beaten. She didn't care! She won't submit.

"Will you cooperate?" asked Brick. "You know you can't fight us. Make it easy yourself!"

She shook her head.

"Suit yourself," the leader said. "Thank your lucky stars we didn't just clonk you in the head and be done with it."

She suddenly saw black, as she felt a blindfold being tied around her eyes. Then once more, the hand on her mouth was taken away. She opened her mouth as wide as possible and screamed.

"LET GO OF ME! YOU THREE BOYS ARE GOING TO PAY FOR MMPHHH!"

Her screams were ended when something invaded her mouth, a large piece of cloth she guessed. It was a big mistake to open her mouth to scream. But what could she do?

She tried to push the invading cloth from her mouth using her tongue, but the fabric was big, her tongue got stuck as the invading fabric kept it from moving much. It was pushed until the entirety of the cloth was past her teeth. As a result, her mouth was filled to the brim.

She felt another more cloth enter her mouth, a giant knot that was pushed, like the first gag, in until it was past her teeth, forcing the first wad of cloth even deeper into her mouth. Then she felt the cloth tied around the back of her neck, holding everything in place.

"Nice, Boomer!" she heard Butch say, and she guessed it was the blonde who gagged her.

Then she heard the ripping of tape, and she felt what was undoubtedly duct tape stick to her jaw, but rather than putting a strip over her already gagged mouth, he wound it tightly around her head, over her mouth, in a clockwise direction, pressing it down to her cheeks and neck. Ten times he wound it around, every pass making it tighter, the tape pulling her face to the right at first but then settling down as it formed a tight band over her mouth, squeezing her lower face.

When it was over, she tried to push the cloths out with her tongue, and it was impossible. Her gag was overkill.

Then she felt her hands being crossed behind her, and rope tied around it. It was tight, as expected. Then Butch's hands let go of her hands.

And she tried to snap the ropes, but it held. Then she realized that they got her! They truly got her as she felt more rope around her ankles and knees.

Then she was sat on the bed, and she felt more rope around her waist, pinning her wrists to the small of her back, then her stomach at her elbows, drawing her arms to her body, and finally, around her shoulders. All the ropes were tied tight, and snug and all her struggles were futile as it only exhausted her.

Then finally, the blindfold was taken off.

And she faced three grinning boys.

At least it took all three of them to get her! She was sure that only one had been sufficient to take her sisters.

"Mmphh mphhp mphhh!" _Let me go, you hoodlums!_ she began to rant, but she stopped as she realized the sounds were faint, unrecognizable and sounded ridiculous.

She glared at them. And if you could kill by just looks, the boys would be dead ten times over.

"I suppose it'd be useless to ask you, but it's needed," Brick said. "Butch?"

"Could you hop?" the green ruff asked.

She just glared at him, before nodding.

"Would you want to hop and follow us?" the green ruff asked.

How dare they ask that she cooperate after her kidnapping? She shook her head.

"Oh, and one more thing," said Brick. "Listen, Buttercup. We kidnapped you, and I suppose you don't want to play the game, right?"

 _So it's a game after all!_ She shook her head.

"Well tough! It's a kidnapping game, and in such a game, the captives don't have a choice whether they would play or not. We are going to keep you here until we decide we want to let you go, that is, until your ransom is paid. So suck it up! You're ours until we decide otherwise. _Your choice does not matter_!"

She glared at them. They were going to pay when this was over!

Butch grabbed her and slung her over his shoulder, and three boys walked out of the room, into a corridor, down the stairs, where she heard sounds of TV. It was _Puppet Pals!_ And there were faint laughing and giggling sounds. But as she could only see the back of Butch and the floor, she really didn't realize her company until she was dumped on the couch, and she found herself sitting between Bubbles on her left, and Blossom on her right, bound and gagged identically, as she was.

She looked at them with her green eyes wide open, looking to the right, and to the left. And both girls were looking at her.

"Mmmph mphhhg mmm!" _Are you okay?_ Buttercup asked.

"Mmphhh mmphh!" were the replies of both her sisters. What did they say? She could not understand a damn thing!

She looked at their eyes. And to her shock, there was no anger, no rage, nothing!

She glared at them, then she got looks of disapproval. Oh, this was going to be a long day. She hoped that their ransoms would be quickly paid so she could give both her sisters a tongue lashing.

* * *

 _ **85 (274). HIM's Ploy**_

"Phew!" said Boomer as they went to the kitchen, leaving the three girls to watch TV. "At least we got them all! Let's call HIM and get this over with. Buttercup will kill us when they get free! She doesn't think it's a game!"

"She understands perfectly that it's a game," Brick said, "but she just doesn't want to play. At least she knows we're not doing this because we're evil."

"After this, I want to fight her! That headbutt really hurts!" Butch said. "My head still aches! I want to teach her a lesson! Yes, let's call HIM. I don't want to deal with Buttercup any longer than we have to!"

"That's a good plan, tying that orange rope on her before we dragged her here," Boomer said. "That made tying her very easy. Still, I'd rather she was actually okay with this."

"Yes, me too. It could ruin the agreement," said Brick. "But we don't have a choice. It's Ms. Keane's life that is at stake! And yes, I'd rather she actually want to play our game. Hopefully, Blossom and Bubbles would work on her and convince her that it's all good fun."

"Let's call HIM and get this over with!" Butch commanded.

"Okay Boomer, go there and watch them. We want to make HIM think that this is a real kidnapping, not some friendly game, or something," said Brick. "Butch and I would call him."

Boomer nodded, and he went to the living room. Brick and Butch went upstairs to the leader's room.

Brick was nervous. The actual kidnappings went very smoothly. Even Buttercup wasn't a problem once he took away her powers. And if it were only Bubbles and Blossom, things would go swimmingly. But after the entire thing was over, Buttercup would be a problem. A big problem.

The worse part was, he cannot ever tell them the real reason for kidnapping them.

But his greatest fear was HIM asking the girls about the nature of their experience. But he suddenly got an idea.

"HIM!" Brick called. "HIM!"

"Is he coming?" asked Butch.

"I hope so," said Brick.

There was laughter heard, high-pitched, and the room's contours began to spin. Then, once more, they found themselves in HIM's room on earth. The same room with pink walls and exercise machines.

"Yes?" asked the lobsterman.

"We did it!" said Brick.

"What?" he asked.

"We committed a crime against the persons of all three Powerpuff Girls!" Butch announced proudly. "And they knew it was us! They saw us did it!"

"Really now?" asked HIM. "Show me!"

"Why don't you go and show yourself to the Powerpuff Girls?" asked Brick. "They're at our home!"

"Yeah! Go and look at them! Show yourself to the girls! Ask them how we committed this terrible crime!" Boomer said, catching on to Brick's plan.

There was a bit of silence as HIM was at a loss for words.

"Oh no! I know what you're planning. If I appear, they'll figure out that you did it because of me, and they'll be more understanding. No, I'll look at it on my TV. They'll never know my real participation. Where are they?"

"In our living room! Take a look!" Brick said proudly.

…

* * *

HIM took the remote to this TV and put it on the Rowdyruff living room.

And there they were! All three Powerpuff Girls, bound and gagged, with Boomer watching over them.

"As you can see, we kidnapped them!" Brick announced. "And that ticks all boxes. Let's see. It's a serious crime? Very serious. It's against the Powerpuff Girls? Definitely. It's against their persons? Yes. And did they know it was us? Oh yes. And before you ask, they're not pretending. Mojo invented a special rope that could take away their powers if they're tied with it. Now, give us Ms. Keane!"

HIM was staring at the television, looking at the three girls. They definitely weren't pretending to be tied up. It was a real kidnapping.

Clever, clever, clever boys! He must have figured out that the faster they were let go of, the more likely the girls would forgive the boys. HIM looked at the girls more closely, and there was no sign that they were actually hurt.

So, it was a painless kidnapping!

Clever! Clever! Clever!

Still, HIM had an ace up his sleeve. _You think you're so smart? Kidnapping them then releasing them at once when Ms. Keane is safe?_

"Well boys, you certainly did kidnap them, and yes, you ticked off all boxes," said the lobster-like creature. "But our deal was later tonight. You called me too early!"

"But we did what you asked early!" Butch protested.

"Yes. Now all you have to do is to keep the Powerpuff Girls as your captives until tonight, say, about nine in the evening. That would be about exactly twenty-four hours since the last night's visit to Ms. Keane," said the lobster-like creature. "Then I'll bring her back to her house, and then you'll have your teacher back. And by the way, congratulations! Oh, and free the all the Girls before that, and the deal's off!"

 _You think the girls will forgive you? Well, maybe if you let them go now! But let's see how forgiving they would be if you kept them tied up for twelve more hours for no good reason!_

He gave a high-pitched laugh as the boys disappeared in the puff of smoke.

…

* * *

 _ **86 (275). Making More Plans**_

"Damn! Damn! Damn!" Brick said when they found themselves back in his room. "They will never forgive us if we kept them captive until nine tonight!"

"Why don't we let them go and kidnap them later tonight?" Butch suggested.

"What? And if HIM decided to check on us, what would he see? He would know that we didn't really kidnap them! No, we should keep them like that until nine in the evening. Or Ms. Keane's goose is cooked!"

"So what about the agreement?" asked Butch.

"We pray that they won't flip!" said Brick. "I really wished we kidnapped them later. I thought we would get Ms. Keane sooner than later if we did the kidnapping way earlier than expected."

"So what should we do?" asked Butch. "Do you we continue the game?"

"Let's keep a brave front! We'll bluff our way through this, and I just hope the girls would treat this thing as one big game!" said Brick.

"What if they won't want to play until evening?" asked his brother.

"Tough for them. _They have no choice_ ," the red ruff asserted.

…

* * *

"What?" Boomer exclaimed.

"Yes, the entire day, and into the night," said Brick when they met in the kitchen. "So how do we do it so the girls won't kill us after this is over?"

"Buttercup would kill all of us right now!" said Boomer, laughing. "Tying them for a short time is one thing. For an entire day is another!"

"Buttercup's a lost cause," said Brick. "But how about Bubbles and Blossom?"

"Well, maybe we should be very kind of them?" Boomer asked, "especially if we would keep them tied and gagged like that all day. Then probably, they won't kill us?"

Butch gagged. "What? Play nice? I ain't gonna act like a sissy!"

"We have no choice if we want to keep the agreement," said Boomer. "Especially with how we took Buttercup."

"Fine. What should we do then?" asked Brick.

"Right now, there's a marathon on Puppet Pals for the morning," said Boomer. "That should keep them occupied. Then we eat lunch. We should announce something."

…

* * *

 _Later_ …

Bubbles mewed a bit after the last credits of the Puppet Pals marathon. It was so much fun watching at once all the episodes that she had seen before, and some that she hadn't seen yet. It was a show all three girls liked. She even remembered when all three of them went with the Professor to watch a Puppet Pal movie in 3-D.

She looked at the time. It was about twelve noon. Which meant that she had been captive for at least four hours. And she was hungry. She really needed a break. And when would the ransom be paid? And more importantly, who was going to pay? In the past few games, it was always her sisters who paid when she was kidnapped, but who will pay it when all three were tied up all at once? The Professor? Ms. Keane? Someone else?

Boomer, who had been watching them, switched off the TV.

"Well girls, it's time for lunch. I suppose you three could hop towards the kitchen?"

Bubbles nodded enthusiastically. At least the gag would come off.

She looked at her sisters. Blossom too was nodding.

"Ogre? You want to eat lunch too? There won't be any lunch for anyone of you if you three don't agree," he said.

Bubbles looked at Buttercup, and so did Blossom.

Hungry, she gave in and nodded.

"Good! Let's hop to it! You go first, Buttercup! You know the way to the dining room, right?"

Buttercup nodded before she jumped to the floor, then hopped to the dining room.

"Big Bad Wolf, you're next," Boomer said.

And Blossom nodded, jumped to her feet, and hopped.

"And Bubbles!" he smiled.

Oh, she just loved his smile. She nodded, and hopped, following her sisters, with Boomer walking behind her.

* * *

 _ **87 (276). Girl Talk**_

The boys arranged them around the big rectangular table, so that Brick sat on the end, with Blossom on his right. Then Boomer sat next to Blossom, and finally, Bubbles was placed at the head, facing Brick. Besides Bubbles on her right was Butch, and then Buttercup, who was directly on Brick's left. The boys did not untie the girls but tied the girls to the chairs they were sitting on, with their backs bound to the back of the chair, and their laps to the seat.

Since it was time for lunch, the gags were carefully removed. Bubbles first, then Blossom's, then finally, Buttercup's.

"Water!" Bubbles squeaked as soon as she could talk, and Boomer got a glass of it with a straw. "Thank you," she said as soon as she drank a little. She turned to Blossom. "So how did you get captured?"

Blossom looked at Bubbles, before answering, "The evil Rowdyruff leader was hiding in the tree in the yard. I was about to go to Robyn's when I was grabbed," she said.

"You too?" Buttercup asked, drawn into their conversation and curious too. "I was grabbed under the tree too. How about you, Bubbles?"

"In our room. I was grabbed by Boomer when I entered, but then, we heard Blossom! So he dragged me into the walk-in closet, and kept me there while you were looking for me!"

"What? You were in the walk-in closet all that time?" asked Blossom. "Why didn't you call?"

"Well duh! His hand was over my mouth!"

"I could easily have heard you!" said Blossom. "You didn't want him to be caught!"

Bubbles' blushing face answered the question.

Buttercup looked at Blossom. "How about you, Blossom? I bet you didn't put up much of a struggle!"

"Oh, it's just a game! It's not a real kidnapping!" said Blossom. "I wouldn't want to spoil whatever they're planning for us!"

"Game or not, you shouldn't just give in just because they grabbed you! I struggled all throughout! I never gave in! All three of them had to be there just to tie me up!" she boasted. "I acted like a real warrior! Not like you two, who acted like wimps and weaklings!"

"You know, if you really wanted to play," Bubbles said, a bit miffed by Buttercup, "you wouldn't struggle like that. You could get hurt, or even hurt the boys."

"Yeah, Buttercup. If you don't like to play, you could have just said no!" Blossom said, also irked by her middle sister's insults. She was going to show her who was the real wimp and weakling.

"But you wouldn't," said Bubbles. "Unless you're scared!" Bubbles looked very smug at turning the tables on her middle sister.

"Scared?" Buttercup replied. "Scared of the Rowdyruff Boys? Oh please!"

"Oh, you're scared! That's why you struggled!" said Bubbles. "You're afraid of them, that's why you don't want them to take you hostage!"

Blossom smiled and looked at her middle sister, twisting the knife. "Oh, I see! Buttercup's a scaredy-cat! You're afraid of what they'll do to you! You're actually scared that they'll actually do evil things and stop pretending to be good!"

"I'm not scared of them!" Buttercup said, suddenly finding herself on the defensive.

"Then prove it!" Blossom challenged.

"Okay then, fine! Boys, I'm going to play this stupid game of yours until you decide it's finished, no matter how long it takes! There, happy?"

Buttercup wanted to slap herself when she spoke that. _Stupid, stupid Buttercup_ , she told herself. She let herself be goaded into agreeing into playing this stupid game! She had prepared herself to lash out at the boys for daring to abduct them, at her sisters for agreeing to this entire thing, and to demand that they release them at once, or they would be in trouble.

Instead, she let herself be put into a position where she had to play it to the end!

And she didn't even know when this thing would end!

* * *

 _ **88 (277). Lunch**_

"Thank you Blossom, and Bubbles," Brick interrupted, "but it's time for lunch. Butch!"

The green ruff went to the kitchen, and returned, a minute later, with a tray of food. There was freshly cooked meat—venison, pork, and chicken. Then there were salads. And fruits—apples, oranges, and grapes. And loafs of bread. Plus, a pitcher of juice, water, and a bottle of soft drink.

"Now girls!" Boomer spoke, "we're going to serve lunch. Choose what you like. Bubbles first."

"Aren't you gonna untie us?" asked Blossom.

"Yeah, how can we eat like this?" Buttercup added.

"We'll feed you," said Boomer. "Counterpart to counterpart."

"What? I don't wanna!" the green puff declared. "I'm not a toddler."

"Then you can starve," Butch replied. "And the gag goes back in."

"Fine!" the green puff conceded.

"I want a salad!" said Bubbles.

Boomer took Bubbles plate and put some of the leafy vegetables of the salad on her plate, and began feeding her.

…

* * *

"Chicken, please," said Blossom politely.

Brick obliged, getting a drumstick and placing it in front of her mouth. Blossom took a bite and chewed, then took another bite until only bone was on Brick's hand.

…

* * *

"I want the pork chop!" Buttercup demanded.

Without a word, Butch put a large slice of pork chop on her plate, sliced it into manageable pieces.

…

* * *

Even Buttercup had to admit that the boys were really really nice, for Rowdyruffs, at least, during lunch. When Buttercup asked that they wipe their mouths, Butch complied. When Blossom's hair got out of place and covered her eyes, Brick tried his best to fix it so Blossom could see. When Bubbles asked for fruits, Boomer gave it, even peeling the orange when Bubbles selected it. And the three boys did it with a smile and perfect politeness. Even Butch did it without grumbling, without any indication that he hated what he was doing.

The green puff wondered why were they so polite and friendly when they were never that nice before? Probably to make up for the fact that they kidnapped them against their will. Well, against _her_ will. She had no doubt Bubbles, and Blossom was not wholly opposed to their own abduction.

"That was really delicious!" Blossom said, after swallowing a bit. "I'm full."

"Need a burp?" Brick asked in a friendly if flat tone.

Blossom did not say anything, but her pink eyes indicated that it would not be unwelcome.

So Brick went behind her and gently tapped her back, and a few second later, Blossom gave the loudest burp they've ever heard. They all laughed, with Blossom's face as red as her hair. "I'm so sorry," she said. The puff leader looked at the boys in a teasing mood. "Aw, you're so nice."

"Don't get used to it," said Brick, laughing. "This only applies when we kidnap you. Otherwise, we ain't nice."

"I know. Do we have to get ourselves kidnapped for you to act like gentlemen?" the puff leader retorted.

"Only to you girls. We're polite to everyone else all the time," Brick replied.

"Yeah, Boomie was so kind and considerate when he kidnapped me before, like now," Bubbles cooed, and Boomer blushed and looked as if he wanted to be somewhere else. "But he could be so rude when I'm free."

"You're all crazy!" Butch retorted.

"I hate to agree with that moron over there, but Butch is right! You're crazy!"

"Hey Butters, watch it! I'm only nice now because you're helpless as a baby, but I can still sock you and beat you up after this is all over," Butch warned.

"Bring it on!" Buttercup shouted, eager for a fight.

"Anyway, the food is great!" said Bubbles as the boys began to eat.

"Yeah. Where did you order this?" asked Buttercup.

"Order? Order?" said Brick after he swallowed as if he was indignant. "We didn't order it! It was cooked! Home cooked to be exact!"

"Butch cooked it, right?" Bubbles suddenly said.

"Yes!" said Boomer. "Our own resident cook! The greatest chef there ever was!"

Butch was blushing as he sank into his chair.

"Aw, Big manly Butch actually likes cooking!" Buttercup teased, and she swore Butch actually became redder than a tomato.

"Oh stop it! Butch doesn't like compliments on his cooking!" Brick said, himself trying to stop himself from laughing.

* * *

 _ **89 (278). The Announcement**_

…

 _After lunch…_

"We have an announcement!" said Boomer as soon as the boys finished eating.

Blossom looked at the blond boy in curiosity. Was it time to be free? She hoped so. Even if it was a game, it was tiring to be tied up for so long.

"The ransom's been paid?" asked Bubbles excitedly.

"Sadly, no," Brick answered. "We see, we have hit a snag. Not that it won't be paid. I assure you, the ones we contacted are only too willing to pay since they love you too much not to! The problem is that it would take time! So it would be paid tonight, at about nine."

Blossom's heart sank. She looked at the clock. It was one o'clock! Eight more hours! And she was sure her sisters felt the same.

"What! Are you telling us that we're gonna be like this until nine?" Buttercup shouted.

"Yes. Why, are you backing out?" asked Butch.

Both her sisters looked at her, and she said, "I did say I'll play until the end. And I will!"

"Good. You'll be gagged soon, but first, I'll untie you one by one, and, for fifteen minutes, you can use the bathroom, wash your face, do whatever you want to do, then we'll tie you and gag you again. Then the next one would be untied, and she would have to go to the bathroom and do the same thing, at the same time. We'll time you so don't linger. And that is for the third girl too," Boomer explained.

"But the Professor will expect us by six!" Bubbles protested.

"I know. That's why you will call him now, and tell him you're going to stay the night and have a sleepover here!" said Brick.

"What? Are you telling us that we'll call Dad so we can ask permission to stay here so you can keep us bound and gagged?" asked Blossom, a bit shocked by their audacity.

"Yes. Unless you want to get us into real trouble," said Brick, "because whether you ask permission or not, we won't let you go until then. No ifs and buts!"

"Are you serious? Why can't you let us go earlier?" the puff leader demanded.

"Just trust us on this, okay? Please, please, agree with this! What are ropes and gags to—" Brick said, his voice nearly cracking, as if he was begging, his red eyes having a look on desperation on it, before stopping himself as if he nearly made a big mistake. The desperate look on his eyes was replaced with steely determination. Not a look of someone merely playing for fun, Blossom noted. He looked at the girls with deadly seriousness, "But even you don't agree, we'll keep you until that time. You don't have a choice in this game, just as in a real kidnapping. You don't want us to get in real trouble with the adults and the law, do you?"

Then suddenly, it came to her like an inspiration. And she knew what she must do. She must play the game until the end.

"Fine! But only because we don't like you to get arrested!" said Blossom, conceding. "And only until nine tonight! We won't agree to anymore extension."

There was a look palpable relief on his face. "Thank you," he said.

Now that was strange. Why get all agitated and tense for a mere game?

"Could we have about ten minutes to ourselves? We need to some private talk," Blossom requested.

"You aren't going to conspire to escape, are you?" asked Boomer.

"No, no, no. Not that!" Blossom said. "Please?"

"Oh okay," said Brick. "Boys?"

The three quickly removed all the dishes and food from the table and went to wash the dishes.

* * *

 _ **90 (279). Pink Suspicion**_

…

Boomer returned with three pieces of cloth.

"What's that?" asked Buttercup.

"You'll see," said the blond boy. "Or rather, you won't!"

He blindfolded the three girls.

"Hey, what gives?" Blossom protested.

"Orders from big brother," he said.

"Remove this, at once!" the leader demanded.

"Either that, or you'll get a gag now," he said. "Your choice."

"Fine. We want to be alone. Could you please leave?"

There was no reply. She strained her ears to listen to any sign of the boy.

"Guess, we're alone," said Bubbles.

"I'm not so sure, but we'll pretend that we are," said Blossom, a bit disappointed. Despite being nicer, they still could act very difficult, and played their roles as captors seriously

"Girls, what do you think of this?" asked Blossom.

"What? Aside from getting kidnapped, things looked fine!" said Buttercup with a trace of sarcasm. "Yeah, I made that promise. And I'll stick to it! Let's see who is the real coward!"

"This game was far more realistic than the last time they kidnapped me," Bubbles said, "And it's much better with company. Thank you, girls, for playing too!"

"Yeah, they kidnapped us, and it looked very real—" Buttercup began. Then she laughed. "I actually thought that they were really turning evil!"

"So real, that it looked like that they're not playing!" said Bubbles. "Look at them! They're not acting like it's a totally fun game! They were acting different last time they kidnapped me. They don't look as if they're having fun."

"What?" asked an incredulous Buttercup.

"They're a lot more serious and nervous," said Bubbles. "It's as if there's some other reason why they're taking us. But that's silly. I think they're just acting so it would seem real to us. And they're acting so good that it made us think that there's more to it than a game. And make it more fun. And it's exciting to think of what they're planning for us at the end. Like, who's gonna pay for us? And what will the boys want in exchange for us?"

"I guess so," said Buttercup. "Do we really have to play this game until the end?"

"Buttercup! This is the first time they ever started a game with all three of us! We shouldn't spoil it!" the blonde justified. "After all, they agreed to play tea party with us, which I'm sure, to them, was horrible, so it's just fair that we play their kidnapping game."

"Fine! Me and my big mouth," grumbled Buttercup.

"Let's talk about something else," said Bubbles. "Blossom, I heard you and Brick were in the library, together. What were you doing?"

"Yesterday, Brick and I were in the library, reading together—" Blossom began, relieved at the change of topic. She really wasn't sure someone wasn't listening, as the orange rope had cut off all her extraordinary powers of detection, and she was now as helpless as an ordinary girl.

"What? You and Brick? Aw, you're on a date!" Bubbles cooed.

"Bubbles, that's not a date!" Blossom asserted.

"Then what is it?" asked Bubbles.

"We just bumped by accident. I wanted to read something in the library, he was already there and reading the exact same book I wanted to read. Anyway, before we get too sidetracked, and we run out of time, I mentioned that he was reading because they had some homework from Ms. Keane. And he suddenly stood up, and left, as if I had said something that upset him. Then connect it with the fact that they've been looking for her since the start of the week, and that we haven't heard of her. Do you think that something has happened to Ms. Keane?"

"What? Did the boys do something to Ms. Keane?" asked Buttercup.

"No. What I suspect was that something's happened to her, and the boys are trying to look for her," said Blossom. "What if something bad happened to Ms. Keane?"

"That's silly! It's summer! She's probably on vacation, and she forgot to tell the boys," Bubbles said.

"Yeah, Red," Buttercup laughed. "What's next, they kidnapped us to find Ms. Keane?"

All three girls laughed at the absurdity of the suggestion.

"This game is just pure fun. There's nothing more to it than that!" Bubbles asserted.

"I guess that's the most logical answer then," laughed Blossom. "That was so silly of me!"

"You overthink too much," said Bubbles, agreeing with Buttercup. "Just let it be, and enjoy it."

"Forget about Ms. Keane," said Buttercup. "So what are we going to do?"

"We play their game. After all, looking at it, they thought of everything, planned it all, and worked hard, just to make it a realistic one," Blossom explained. "Remember, we want to make them good for real, as fast as possible, and the best way is to make friends with them. By playing this game, we want to show that we really appreciate them and that we can play their games too. No matter how rough it may seem."

"What?"

"Look, we have no choice. The boys won't let us go until this is over, so let's make the best of it," said Blossom. "It's just playing! Let's play our part as hostages. And let's appreciate the fact that they want to play with us. Maybe they'll admit to being good faster if we cooperate."

"I guess you're right," Buttercup grumbled. "And I did promise to play their game till it's conclusion. If you think we should play it until the end, why, I'm a big enough girl to do so."

"Besides," the leader said, "aren't you curious about how this will play out in the end?"

"I guess," said the green puff, uncertainty evident in her tone.

"So what are you and Brick really doing in the library?" Bubbles asked. "C'mon! Tell us! All the details! We're sisters!"

"Bubbles, nothing's happening! We're just reading the chemistry textbook!" Blossom said.

"Right, reading the textbook! And nothing else!" Bubbles giggled. "That's why Brick wants to kidnap you afterward!"

"For crying out loud, that's the only table available, and all the others were occupied!" said Blossom. "Everybody can see us! That library was crowded."

"So you read the same textbook at the same time?" Bubbles asked.

"Yes, we did. When I was done, he turned the page, and—" she began, then stopped when realizing the implication of her words to her sisters. "Stop it! It wasn't what it looked like!"

"What did it look like?" Bubbles persisted.

Blossom blushed, and she was thankful for the blindfold and that no one noticed. "Nothing."

…

* * *

 _ **91 (280). Asking Permission**_

"Oh! I'll call the Professor! Let me call the Professor!" Bubbles volunteered as soon as she heard the boys return.

"Okay," said Brick. "You can hop to the living room, right?"

She happily nodded.

"Good. Follow Boomer. He'll dial the phone," he said as he removed the blindfold from the blonde girl, and undid the ropes connecting her to the chair.

Boomer walked into the living room, with Bubbles hopping behind him. He dialed the phone to the Utonium home and put it on her head.

"Hello?"

"Hello Dad!" she greeted cheerily.

"Hello, Bubbles! Where were you? I was worried! I thought you disappeared or something since I called the Mayor and there was no call on the hotline," the Professor replied.

"Oh, we're at the Rowdyruff Boys' home. We're playing," Bubbles said.

"Oh, that's a relief. But next time, if all three of you do that, please tell me first so I won't worry," he said.

"Oh, I'm sorry. We're playing, and we had so much fun that we lost track of time, and we're a bit tied up," she said.

"That's alright," said the Professor.

"Oh, and the boys invited us to stay the night for a sleepover. Could we? Please? Please?" she asked.

"Well, I don't know. I'll call Mojo. Is he at home?"

"No. He's at his office in the lab."

"Okay. I'll call him first. Then we'll see."

"Thank you, thank you. I love you with sugar lumps on top"!

"Oh, don't thank me yet. I haven't said yes. And I love you too! Bye"

"Bye!" said Bubbles, and she nodded to Boomer, who put the phone down.

"Well?" asked the blond boy.

"He said he'll talk to your Dad first."

"Is that good?" he asked.

"Yes. He's checking with Mojo if it's alright with him."

Boomer sighed with relief. "I'm sure Pops would be okay with it."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Well, mostly. He isn't too strict with that sort of thing."

"So who's going to pay for our ransom?" she asked.

His eyes widened, and his voice becomes higher pitched and frantic. "Um, why do you want to know?"

"Just curious," she replied sweetly.

"Um, well, you see, it's ahh, surprise! Yeah, that's it! It's a surprise," said Boomer nervously, his eyes looking at the ceiling.

 _Oh, Boomer, you're so easy to read!_

She hopped on the couch beside the phone and sat down. "So what'll we do after this?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, silly, after lunch!"

"Well, we'll gag you again, and well, what do you want to do?"

"How about you read to me another of your stories?" she asked. "I know! How about the _Brave Little Tailor_!"

"Oh, I love that tale! The seven-in-one-blow guy!" said Boomer. "What else?"

"After that, how about _Tom Thumb_?"

"That's very nice too! Of course!" he said. "Then afterward, you can watch more TV. We have some DVDs of cartoons if you want. How about _Looney Tunes_?"

"That would be nice," she said.

The phone rang.

"Hello?" Boomer answered.

"Hello, my youngest son who will be one of the rulers of the world and assistants to your oldest brother. May I speak with Brick?" Mojo answered.

"BRICK! IT'S POPS!" Boomer shouted.

A second later, the leader of the Rowdyruff Boys took the phone.

"Hello? Well yeah, Pops, we did invite the girls to a sleepover. And yes, they said yes. The Professor called? Bubbles called the Professor to ask for permission. Yes, Dad, we'll take care of them. We'll be extra nice. And no Dad, we won't make a mess of the house. Thanks, Dad!"

"Well?" asked Boomer as soon as Brick put down the phone.

"We'll just wait for the Professor to call and give permission," said Brick.

The phone rang, and once again, Boomer answered. "Hello?"

"Boomer, could I talk to Blossom?"

"BLOSSOM!" Boomer shouted, "It's your Professor!"

Butch undid the blindfold of Blossom and the ropes pinning her to the chair. The leader of the Powerpuffs hopped to where they were, and Boomer put the phone against her head.

"Hello, Dad! Yes, Bubbles did. You are? Thank you! Yes, we're having fun. We just ate lunch. Butch's a great cook! Yes, we'll behave, and we won't be trouble. Yes, the boys have been perfect gentlemen, even if they told us they're still evil. Yes, I'm sure they'll behave. What, we need to get our clothes and stuff? Yeah, yes, we can't borrow the boys' clothes. What, you want Buttercup to come? Yes, I'm sure it will be okay. Thank you. Bye."

The phone went down. Bubbles was anxious to learn what their father told Blossom. "Well?"

"He said yes!"

Buttercup, as well as Brick and Butch, had joined them.

"Really? Yes. But we need to get our nightgowns, underwear, toothbrush, those kinds of stuff since we can't borrow it," said Blossom. "And since the Professor needs to ask Buttercup about something, she should get our stuff."

"So you need to free me!" said Buttercup smugly.

"Wait!" Brick shouted, and everyone looked at him. "Let's do this my way, that way, we can have order. First of all, Boomer, untie Bubbles. It's time for their bathroom break."

"But Buttercup—" Blossom began.

"Later. Boomer, what are you waiting for?"

Boomer did as asked.

When she was free, Brick looked at her, and said, "you have fifteen minutes. Do not try to escape, or your sisters will really regret it! Do not test me! I am serious! After this, we'll retie you. Then it's Blossom's turn."

"Oh don't worry, Mr. Evil kidnapper," said Bubbles, before she flew to the bathroom, and did whatever she needed to do. She was intensely relieved as she had been tied up for more than five hours at that point.

* * *

 _ **92 (281). Temporary Freedom**_

…

She looked at herself in the mirror. She again stretched her arms, knowing that she probably won't be able to do so until the end of the game later that night. She noted that the short orange rope on her elbows was still there.

She washed her face, wiped it, and fixed her messed-up hair. She looked at the clock. She would go out precisely fifteen minutes after she entered, and not a moment too soon. She wasn't too thrilled to be tied up once more.

But she had to be. And she really doesn't mind it too much, if she was honest with herself.

It really felt like she really had been kidnapped, and not like an innocent game that they had been playing. It's just that it had been too long.

But she knew the boys won't go that far if it was not necessary. At least she hoped so. If there wasn't something that delayed the ransom, then she felt that they would have ended the game at around lunchtime, and leave them captive the same amount of time that she had been held hostage during the first games.

But she was at least grateful that the boys were trying their best to make it fun. If they were real kidnappers, they would not bother to let them watch TV or to feed them like they did. Or to read them stories.

She heard a loud knock. And she looked at the clock. Fifteen minutes already! How time flies!

She opened the door, and there was Boomer, waiting with ropes in his hand, and a smile that seemed more apologetic than eager.

"Princess?" he said as he moved behind her and pulled her hands behind her.

She sighed. "I expect you to treat an important captive like me like a true Princess!"

"Of course, your highness!" Boomer said as she felt ropes being around her crossed wrists.

…

* * *

 _Later…_

Blossom really wanted to have a shower. Too bad she had no change of clothes. And she only would have fifteen minutes anyway. So she had to be content with washing her face.

And fixing her hair. Brick might have some skills in hairdressing, but his attempt to fix it during lunch time was average at best, so she had to do it. After all, even being a captive, she had to look her best. After all, who would want to pay a ransom to rescue a shabby-looking queen?

How things had escalated. She really didn't mind being taken from her home by Brick. That was unexpected, but the sensation of being grabbed and held by Brick as he flew her to his home wasn't really unpleasant. It made her feel important— _that she' was worth kidnapping_. She was actually flattered by Brick's attention!

Brick liked her enough to take her invitation to play with them by personally taking her that morning. That really boosted her ego. That was the real reason she decided to play along and even convinced her sisters to play along too.

She really didn't look forward to being tied up again. But Brick would insist. And it was a price worth paying if it meant that he would continue to play with her in the future.

She envied Buttercup. She would be freed way longer! Why did the Professor not forget that he had something to say to her too so she would be the one called to get their things to their sleepover?

Time to go "play" the game.

She opened to the door of the bathroom and stepped out. There, sitting beside the door, was Brick, reading a book.

"Ahem!" Blossom said.

His red eyes looked up and stood up. "Exactly fifteen minutes. Impressive!" he said.

"I suppose it would be useless to ask to be spared the ropes?" she asked.

"That is non-negotiable. You won't be a captive if you can just fly around like it's nothing."

"Can't I just pretend?"

"No. Now turn around and put your hands behind you!" he curtly ordered.

"Fine!" she said and did as ordered. "You really are a jerk!"

"I'm evil, so yeah, I'm a jerk!" he replied as he tied her.

"Can you at least spare me the gag?"

"You know the answer to that."

"Or at least don't make it so tight."

"I'll make it even tighter if you keep insisting."

…

* * *

 _Later…_

Bubbles and Blossom were sitting on the couch, tied up like before, with hands behind their back, crossed, pinned to the small of their back by ropes around their waist, and more ropes around their stomach that held their arms, at the elbows, to their body and more rope around their shoulder. But they were not yet gagged, and Butch was untying Buttercup.

"Buttercup," Brick instructed, "instead of going to the bathroom for fifteen minutes like your sisters, you are going home and get your things. I am giving you half an hour to do so. I'm sure whatever the Professor will tell you he can say in less than half an hour. What time is it? It's one-thirty in the afternoon. So you should be here by two o'clock."

"And what will happen when I come back?" the green puff asked.

"You'd be bound and gagged like your sisters," Butch answered for her.

"I am warning you," said Brick, "return after thirty minutes, or things would go very bad for your sisters. Don't run away if you value Blossom and Bubbles."

"If you hurt one hair of them!" she began.

"Then come back," Brick replied, "in half an hour if you don't want anything bad to happen."

"Please come back," said Blossom, in a pleading tone.

"Yes, Buttercup!" said Bubbles in a melodramatic tone. "Don't leave us in the hands of these evil, evil kidnappers!"

"I did promise that I will play this game until the end," the green puff said, "and I won't leave you alone. I promise."

With that, she flew away, loving the freedom after so many hours of captivity.

Not looking forward to coming back and resuming her captivity, she toyed with the idea of absconding and letting her sisters be. After all, the boys would not dare do anything terrible to their sisters. Brick's words were just empty threats, part of the game they were playing, just like she was pretending to believe him when he said that.

Then again, that would mean leaving her sisters to their fate. Would they be mad at her? What about her promise to them to play the game until the very end?

So many decisions. She really would hate to go back. But she would even hate it even more if she did not. She would be teased for being afraid by her sisters. She could never live it down. She would never hear the end of it if she did so.

But does she really want to be held captive again until nine in the evening?

Was she terrified of a mere game? She, Buttercup, afraid of a kidnapping that wasn't even real?

She still had to go back with the clothes of her sisters. And if she attempted to escape after she delivered it, with all three boys waiting for her…

But despite that, she really was tempted to just not go back and laugh. Screw all of them!

Decisions! Decisions!

End of Chapter 9

As always, please do me a favor and review if you've read this chapter. Reviews really lighten my day and makes me very happy. Thank you very much for reading!

 **Author Notes**

* * *

To **SilverStreakZ** ,

 _I was thinking how great of an idea it was to kidnap the girls and make it play out as a game, until I realized what would happen if HIM questioned the girls about their kidnapping._

 _You really got me on this one._

 _I like that we finally get to see some interaction between the greens. Very underdeveloped pairing, by both the original series and the fandom._

 _This chapter had me constantly checking by scrollbar to see how much progress I made, for instance..._

 _"Hmm, okay, one-thirds through the chapter."_

 _"Please tell me it's not ending... okay... only halfway."_

 _"Alright, so Butch is about to capture Buttercup and...wait...WHAT? End of chapter? Damn..."_

 _One more thing. Call me incorrect if I am, but I'm not exactly sure whether or not you're supposed to start sentences with words like "and" or "but" as they seem like words that are supposed to explain a different option to an already-started sentence. I'm probably wrong though._

 _Looking forward to Chapter 9!_

That was a dilemma, but it was solved by the boys using an audacious trick. If only HIM had taken the boys up on their offer!

And this chapter has lots of Buttercup and Butch. And the next chapter would have more of the greens, I can assure you.

"And" and "but", I believe, could start sentences, as long as those sentences express a complete thought. But I'm not an English teacher, so I could be wrong.

* * *

To **YxYYLover,**

 _Wow I didn't even know there was a sequel until i checked your profile for new stories to red. I really like "An Education For Power" and the "Allies and Rivals" Series with all the in betweens. You capture the characters personality so well without making them sound cliche or over the top. It is refreshing! As for his story, I think all the children to be adorable! Poor Bubbles but at least she is having fun. I really think the boys are starting to warm up to her lol, now when is Blossom and Buttercup going to join in the fun? Or would that make things awkward between all the children? Im curious to see how the events in this story will play out now that the Rowdy Ruff Boys and Powerpuff Girls are in a temporary truce. Surely HIM has a dastardly plan to ruin that peace. Booooo. Keep ip the good work. Ill try to catch up with the story lol._

Thank you, and welcome back! I really enjoyed your reviews for _An Education For Power_ , and I'm glad you also like _Allies and Rivals_. Yes, the kids are adorable as they become closer. Buttercup and Blossom would join the fun, and as to how HIM will try to break the peace between the kids, it's shown in the chapters already posted.

Once more, thanks for your review. Seeing you again was a delight!

* * *

To **Ash141** ,

 _Excellent chapter!_

 _Bubbles and her word games, hilarious! Brick kidnapped Blossom and she let him, though her mind was saying no apparently everything else was saying yes and she unknowingly gave Brick the idea of what he could do for the 3rd task. Yeah, Buttercup is going to be difficult, there is no easy way about it with that one._

 _This is completely off topic but do you see Mitch as the kind of person that will always be a bully or will he eventually grow out of it? I can see when he's older he might still be a jerk but if he was to witness someone else bullying one of his friends (maybe Robin) or even someone he used to bully, like Mike (though by the time he's older I think he'll be able to take care of himself) or Elmer (seems like the type of kid who'll still get pushed around growing up); seeing them get bullied in a worse way than he ever did (cuz let's be honest older kids are horribly mean), not just being called names or having their lunch taken but being physically hurt might make him realize that being stronger doesn't make you better (as the Girls would try to teach him for years, not that he'd listen), so he'd step in (probably in a way that would get him in trouble) but he'd still defend them, and become a better person in the process. Just something I was wondering about for Mitch's character._

 _Anyway, loved the chapter and can't wait for the next one! Until next time._

 _~Ash141_

Oh yes, Bubbles always finds new ways to have fun, even if she was as restricted as she was in the last two chapters.

And we get a new insight in this chapter as to why Blossom was so willing to let Brick kidnap her even if at the surface, she might be opposed to it. And as predicted, Buttercup's capture was the hardest, and it took all three boys to take her.

I think Mitch is basically a bully, but he's just a kid, and he'll grow out of it. Especially as he would be painfully aware that he would anymore be the toughest boy in school. Him being the first "best friend" of the Rowdyruff Boys would have a great effect on him.

To **DPSS** ,

 _If the boys want to diminish the risk, they might have to take a bigger one. Here's what I propose, before the boys call Him they say to the girls that the situation is more serious than a game, promise that they'll explain later, promise that they won't get hurt, ask them to play along and ask them trust them. While the girls will hesitant, I'll sure that Bubbles will still help them, Blossom would be unsure with how to act so she would go with Bubbles flow and Buttercup would begrunginly follow her "commander and leader"._

Well, I think the boys conveyed that without saying anything, but by just their demeanor. Though of course, the girls simply think that they were just acting to make the game more real. But the boys bluffed HIM, and HIM fell for it, though it's true that if HIM showed himself, the girls might figure out by themselves what's really going on.

* * *

To **John** ,

 _Oh, a kidnapping! That's really fun and interesting._

Yes, a kidnapping. Thanks.

* * *

To **William F Somebody,**

 _Ah, kidnapping the girls! What a clever idea! Make HIM think it was a real thing while actually playing a game. Of course, the pitfall was that HIM might see through entire ploy._

 _Hopefully, the boys would come up with a way out of the dilemma to save their teacher and to keep friendly relations with the girls, especially Buttercup._

 _Looking forward to more._

Thank you. That was a clever plan. And as for the dilemma, the boys found a way around it, but it was still a risky ploy on their part.


	10. II (VI) - Entertaining the Girls

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Powerpuff Girls. It is owned and created by Craig McCraken, and by Cartoon Network.

* * *

 **An Education From HIM**

Peace reigns between the Powerpuff Girls and Rowdyruff Boys. Even as the boys claims that they remain evil, they become close to their counterparts, becoming penpals and playmates to each other. Yet HIM watches, and vows to shatter their peace. Chapter 10. The girls are held captive. How could the boys juggle their obligation to save their teacher and keep the respect of the girls?

 **Book II (VI)**

 **The Tasks**

* * *

 **Chapter X (XXIX)**

 _ **Entertaining the Girls**_

 _Please, please, leave a review. Thank you._

 _ **93 (282). Making it Fun**_

 _Meanwhile_ …

As he stood outside his home, Brick looked at the retreating figure of Buttercup. Would she return? The leader was not sure. After all, his threat to do something awful to Bubbles and Blossom was a bluff. And Buttercup knew it, since to her, he hoped, it was a game. He hoped she was as good as her word.

"What should we do with them?" asked Boomer, joining him.

"What do you mean?" asked the leader.

"I'm gonna read more fairy tales for Bubbles," he said. "She loves that. What about you? What would you do for your counterpart? I'd doubt she'd enjoy fairy tales."

"Why should I do anything for Pinky?" asked Brick.

Boomer looked at him and raised an eyebrow. He put a hand around his shoulder and led him to the kitchen. Butch, who was watching the girls, sitting on the couch, followed, curious.

"Because we need to make them think this is a game," the blond said. "We should make it fun, so they won't suspect a thing. They would play along if we show that we wanted them to enjoy this game too. Even if we kept them tied up and gagged like that."

"So do I have to do the same thing with Buttercup when she comes back?" Butch asked.

"I think so. We're counterparts, so we're supposed to know what our counterparts like!" said Boomer.

"But I find violence fun! If Buttercup's the same, I couldn't just punch her while she's helpless!" the green ruff protested.

"I'm sure you'll find a way," said Brick, chuckling.

"But won't HIM suspect that we didn't commit a crime if he checks us and find us entertaining them?" asked the green ruff in an uncertain tone. "Letting them watch TV, feeding them, and letting them use the bathroom is one thing. That's normal for kidnappings. But us entertaining them?"

"They're tied up and gagged," said Brick. "That's what will make him think we're not playing."

"And what if HIM checks us up while BC's out?"

"I hope to God he doesn't. If he does, we'll say that Buttercup's delivering a message," said Brick.

"That really isn't a good excuse," said Boomer.

"I know. But that's all I could think of. I didn't think the Professor would throw a monkey wrench into this," said the ruff leader. "Well? Let's get a move on."

"What about me?" asked Butch.

"Wait for Buttercup. For now, let's gag the two of them, and do what you want."

…

* * *

They went back to the living room, where to the dismay of Blossom and Bubbles, they gagged them the same way as before—a piece of handkerchief went inside their mouths, then another tied across it, and finally, duct tape wrapped around their heads tight.

Boomer scooped up Bubbles, slung her across his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, and carried her upstairs.

Brick looked at his counterpart, trying to think of what to do. He remembered that they read the chemistry history textbook together and wondered if he could read to her? But decided against it. He wasn't a lively reader. She would probably fall asleep if he did so.

So what could he do to entertain her, that will not make him sacrifice his dignity as a leader? What does he enjoy that Pinky would? Both enjoyed reading textbooks. And answering quizzes and exams.

Yes! That's it!

* * *

 _ **94 (283). Question and Answer**_

He grabbed Blossom and carried her on his arms, her neck on his right arm, her knees on his left arm as he flew up to the top of the stairs. He deposited her on her feet when they arrived.

"Follow me," he said, and she hopped behind him. As they passed the door to Boomer's room, they could hear Boomer, in a loud voice, telling a story to Bubbles. Brick snickered as they approached a red door.

Opening it, he entered. He turned around and saw Blossom just standing there, outside, hesitant to follow.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Brick asked. "Want me to drag you in?"

She shook her head and jumped in.

He placed her on the chair of his room, besides his study table. He looked at his chest for some of his old exams and quizzes that had been returned by Ms. Keane.

Ms. Keane. Seeing the red marks on his paper, and check marks with hardly any mistakes nearly brought tears to his eyes.

 _Just wait a little longer, Teacher!_ he thought.

"What subject? I know! Let's start with Science!" he proclaimed, grabbing an advanced Science test.

…

* * *

Blossom wondered what her counterpart was up to as he took what seemed to be test papers. "Let's see how smart you are. I got 17 out of 20 in this science test. Could you beat me?" he challenged.

She looked at him as if he was crazy. How could she answer questions tied and gagged liked she was?

"This is True or False. If the answer is true, nod. If false, shake your head. Understood?"

She happily nodded. At least it's something that would alleviate the boredom of captivity.

"Okay. Let's begin. Electrons are larger than molecules."

That was easy. She shook her head.

"That's correct!" said Brick. "Question number two. The Atlantic Ocean is the biggest ocean on Earth."

Another piece of cake. She shook her head.

"False! That is right! Your score is two, out of two!"

She would beat Brick's score. At least she would have something crow about.

"The chemical make up food often changes when you cook it."

Wait. That was harder. She wasn't the best of cooks. She tried to recall what her science teacher told her and what she read in her chemistry textbook. She nodded after about a minute of thinking.

"And you are right!"

And they continued until he asked all twenty questions. And Blossom got eighteen out of twenty right. One higher than Brick.

She was delighted. She bested her counterpart in an area that mattered to her. Despite the progress he made under Ms. Keane, he had not surpassed her.

"Congratulations," he said in a rather surly tone. "You beat my score. Let's see if you can beat mine in this. Another science quiz. Fifty points. I got 44. Multiple choice. But how will you answer? Ah, I know!"

He rummaged his closet until he got four rugs, with different colors. Red, Blue, Yellow, and Green. He placed it on the carpeted floor right in front of her. Her eyes widened in curiosity.

"Red is A. Blue is B. Yellow is C. And Green is D. You hop to your answer. For example, the answer is A. What would you do?"

Blossom stood up and hopped on the red rug.

"That's it! You got it! Let's get to the questions. Can you beat my score?"

"Mmmpphh mhnnngggg aff!" _Let's do it!_

"Question number 1. What type of animal is a seahorse? A) Crustacean. B) Arachnid. C) Fish. D) Shell."

She jumped to the red rug.

"And your answer is A. Crustacean. And you are correct!" he said, getting a green pen and making a check mark beside the question.

She giggled. This was fun! She jumped back and stood in front of the chair, itching to answer the next question and show how smart she was.

"Next question. Which of the following dogs is the smallest? A) Dachshund. B) Poodle. C) Pomeranian. D) Chihuahua"

She jumped on the Green rug. "MMphh mmpphhh mphhhh!" _This is so easy!_

"Letter D. Chihuahua! And Pinky, once more, you are correct! You've got two out of two!" Brick shouted with a big smile before he checked the second number.

And he began to read the third question.

…

* * *

 _ **95 (284). Smart Blossom**_

 _And forty minutes later…_

"And finally, for the last question. The question for number 50!" Brick began.

But Blossom did not care. She already answered 45 questions correctly out of the first 49. Which meant she already beat Brick. Again! Brick got 44! She got 45. If she got this one right, she would get 46 out of 50. About 92% to his 88%! Take that, Brick! That would show him! The Leader of the Powerpuff Girls! She felt so good and so happy! Smart as he was, she was more intelligent!

"What is the biggest animal that has ever lived? A) Blue whale. B) African elephant. C) Apatosaurus D) Spinosaurus."

She jumped on the red rug.

"You answered A. And is correct! The Blue Whale is the biggest animal that has ever lived!" he said. "Congratulations! You got a score of forty-six out of fifty! Two higher than mine!"

He was less than enthusiastic in announcing it.

Blossom jumped twice as a result. It was fun, like recitation in school, but without any bored or dirty looks that jealous classmates might give her. She was proud to show off her intellect and was glad that Brick was smart enough to appreciate it.

"Now that you were able to beat my score, it's time for your reward. Let's see."

An evil smirk formed on his face.

He suddenly grabbed her, clutching her by the waist, and flew out of his window.

"Enjoy," he said before he tossed her high in the air.

She screamed for all her worth as she went up the air. She instinctively tried to fly, but then realized she couldn't, thanks to that cursed orange rope tied around her elbows.

When she about five hundred feet on the air, she started to descend.

And as she accelerated downward, she screamed even louder—not that anything but a faint sound could be heard from the layers of gag.

 _I'm gonna die! I'm gonna die!_ was all she could think of as the ground became closer and she closed her eyes.

And she suddenly stopped as she landed on something soft.

She opened her eyes and could see the grinning face of her counterpart, as she was resting on his arms.

"Did you forget that that rope didn't remove your invulnerability?" he laughed. "You can't be hurt by a little fall! And you honestly think I'm gonna let you hit the ground?"

She glared at him. "Mmmpphhh mphhhh vrfffff!" _I'm going to kill you!_

He flew her back to the house, entering through the front door, carrying her all the way. They went to the living room, where they saw Boomer as he showed a building made up of Lego bricks that looked like the Utonium house to the blue puff. Bubbles was standing beside it, her eyes eyeing in curiosity the blond ruff's creation. Brick hovered above both of them, looking at Boomer's model home.

"Mmmpphhh mbbphhh mggpphhh?" _So what's up, Bubbles?_ Blossom asked even if she knew her younger sister couldn't understand her.

Bubbles jumped and looked at Blossom who was still in Brick's arms. At that moment, he put her down and helped her so she stood on the floor. Her eyes looked with a teasing look. "Mmpp mhhpphh pmhhhhp!" Bubbles said, and even if Blossom could not tell what she said, she guessed that it was about the house Boomer was making.

"Well, it's about two o'clock," said Brick. "Buttercup ought to arrive."

Boomer stood up, having just finished making the Utonium house. "Is it?" he said. "Look at the lego house I build! Isn't it like the real thing?"

Butch, who also was watching Boomer make the Utonium home, said, "Yeah. Even the insides of it looked like the girls' house."

Before Brick could agree with the Baron of Berserk, there was a knock on the door.

…

* * *

 _ **96 (285). Blue Time Together**_

 _Earlier…_

Boomer slung Bubbles on his shoulder after he had gagged her. Bubbles wondered what her counterpart had in store for her as he carried her upstairs. They went to his room, and he carefully placed her on his chair.

He looked at his fairy tale books. It was story-telling time. She really liked listening to him as he reads a story. It was a unique skill, as he could make whatever story he was reading come to life, and do it in such a way that it was not dull.

He got a book. _The Brave Little Tailor_. It was a tale she was not familiar with. She sat in keen attention. He stood in the middle of the blue room, his left hand clutching the spine of the book as he opened it.

Before he started, his big blue eyes looked her over.

"Once upon a time, there was a tailor who was…"

…

* * *

 _Later…_

"And the brave little tailor, having married the king's daughter, became king after the old king died, and he lived happily ever after! The end!"

He closed this book and took a bow. "What do you think? Do you like it?"

What could she say? She wasn't too thrilled with the story, as it was not romantic, but she liked it nonetheless. And she loved the way Boomer told it.

She strongly nodded.

"Now let's do _Tom Thumb._ Want to hear it, Princess?"

She nodded.

He put back the first story back to its proper place and got the said story.

He stood in the middle and began reading.

"A long time ago, in the Kingdom of England, there was born to an ordinary couple, a boy, who was only the size of a thumb, and whom they named Tom…"

…

* * *

Later…

"And Tom Thumb lived happily ever after!" he said and gave a bow.

If she could applaud, she would have done so enthusiastically. Instead, she stood and jumped repeatedly.

"Thank you," he said. "I think story-telling time is done. Let's do another thing. Hm. I know! Do you know how to play Lego bricks?"

She knew about it but had not played with it. She shook her head.

"Oh, you'll love it!" said Boomer as he got a plastic toy house from his shelf. To her amazement, he dismantled it to its component plastic bricks. The blue ruff got another plastic house and disassembled it. Then he opened his drawer and got a large plastic bucket. And on the bucket were more lego pieces.

"What shall I build?" he said. "Oh, I know! Townsville City Hall! You think I should make it?"

What could she answer? She nodded.

"I'll tell how this works. You see, each plastic block fits with every other block," he explained to a fascinated Bubbles. She was a curious girl, and always loved to play with new games and toys. And Legos were a new toy.

He carefully explained it. Too bad she can't ask any questions. All tries led him to misinterpret what she was trying to say.

And then he began to make city hall. She at first could not see how all those plastic things could look like City Hall.

After twenty minutes, she looked amazed at Boomer's creation—it was a very near likeness to the actual city hall.

She wanted to try it and play it. It would be the first thing she would ask when she gets free.

They gazed at it for a minute before he dismantled it. "How about I do your house?"

She nodded eagerly.

"I want Butch and Brick to see this," Boomer said.

She wanted to pout. She didn't want Butch to intrude on their fun. She wanted him to herself! How to tell him that? If she could! She shook her head.

"You're bored already?" he asked.

She shook her head. How could she be bored? She saw his violin. An idea came to her mind. "Mmpphhhh mphhhpph mpphhh." _Why don't you play the violin?_

"Yeah, I want to go downstairs too!" Boomer said as he put the pieces of Lego bricks on to the plastic bucket.

She shook her head, but Boomer was too busy packing his toys to notice. He then went out the door. Bubbles debated trying to stay put but decided to follow when she realized that he would just pick her up if she didn't hop behind.

"Want to hop to the top of the stairs?" he asked.

She nodded as she hopped out of the room, towards the top of the stairs. There, Boomer grabbed her and slung her over his shoulder. When they were in the living room, she was put on the couch beside Butch who was watching TV.

"Hey, what's up?" the green ruff asked as he stood up.

"I'm gonna make the Utonium home," said Boomer as he dumped the contents of the plastic bucket, scattering all the Lego pieces on the carpet.

"Oh really?"

"Yup. It's easy doing the outside. I'm gonna do the inside too, including the lab! I'll show you I wasn't kidding when I told you that I could do it!"

"This I gotta see!" said the green ruff, switching off the TV as he watched Boomer.

* * *

 _Later…_

"Wow! That's like the Utonium home! And the inside too!" said Butch.

"Did I do good, Princess?" Boomer asked.

Bubbles nodded as she jumped off the couch and hopped beside the Lego home. She carefully inspected it, and it looked like her home. It was even divided on the inside of the same rooms. He managed to include the Professor's laboratory.

Butch hovered above them to take a look.

They heard the door open.

"Mmmpphhh mbbphhh mggpphhh?" Bubbles heard Blossom's voice say, and she jumped as she turned around and saw Blossom on Brick's arms.

What did Blossom say? She probably wanted to say that she had a wonderful time with Brick.

"Mmpp mhhpphh pmhhhhp!" _Aw, you two are adorable,_ Bubbles said, teasing them.

Before Blossom could reply, Brick said, "Well, it's about two o'clock. Buttercup ought to arrive."

Was it time for her to arrive? How time flies. He stood up, having just finished making the Utonium house. "Is it?" he said. "Look at the Lego house I build! Isn't it like the real thing?"

"Yeah. Even the insides of it looked like the girls' house," said Butch.

Then there was a knock on the door.

* * *

 _ **97 (286). Buttercup at Home**_

 _Meanwhile…_

Buttercup flew from the home of the Rowdyruff Boys with mixed feelings. She was glad that she was free. She was not really into playing damsel-in-distress, in real life or in play. And she couldn't believe that she had been conned into making that foolish promise!

Suddenly, it came to her as she neared her home.

Her sisters were wrong.

Something was off.

What was up? Despite all the efforts to show it was just a game, she suddenly had a strong suspicion that all was not what it appeared to be. Why? She didn't know.

If there was something dire going on, she wished she knew. As it was, the Powerpuff Girls would have to rely on whatever it was the Rowdyruff Boys were doing.

It was maddening. Either that or the boys were just goofing around playing games.

The only thing she was sure of was that the boys were not up to something truly evil. Because if they were, they would not let her go to the Professor.

So, she had no choice. What if her hunch was right and the kidnapping was part of a plan to save the day?

If she was wrong and it was just for fun, then she would lose nothing playing the game.

She would loyally play her part. Promise or no promise.

She arrived at her home. She first went to the bathroom. Then looked for her father. "PROFESSOR!" she shouted as she flew to the lab.

"Oh hello Buttercup!" he said as he looked at her before taking a look at a microscope. "So how was your day?"

She considered squealing but dismissed the idea. "Oh, it's fine."

"Having fun at the Rowdyruff Home?"

"Yeah. Fun! Very much fun," said Buttercup, trying to swallow. "So much fun that we decided to sleep-over."

"Yes. My my, you are growing up! Sleeping over with boys!" he laughed.

"Yeah. Do you have something for me?" she asked, anxious to know why the Professor specifically asked for her.

"Yes. I laundered your green blanket, your favorite," he said with a smile, putting down his microscope and walking out of the lab, to the basement, where there was a hamper with freshly washed and dried clothes. He picked a light green blanket from the bottom of the pile. "I know you wouldn't like to miss it, so I improved the drier so it could do it really really fast. I washed it early this morning, as soon as you were awake, and just finished when your sisters called."

"Blankie!" Buttercup shouted, eyes widening, grabbing the true source of her strength and power. She rubbed her hand and cheek on it. "I am a great fighter, I am a great fighter, I am a great fighter!"

He laughed as he led her to the Powerpuff Room. "I packed what you need and told Mojo what he should do. Don't give him trouble like the last time he babysat you three. I'm sure the boys will occupy your time and keep you out of trouble. After all, I hear that the boys are very obedient sons to Mojo—not as obedient to Ms. Keane—but close to it."

On the room were three large trunks—pink, green, and blue.

"Professor, we're not going on a trip!" said Buttercup. "It's just a night!"

"Yes, and you're staying with three boys and a monkey, I mean a chimp, who knows absolutely nothing about what a girl needs or wants," said the Professor, "so you can't borrow. Let's see. There's your pyjamas, your toys, your toothbrushes, towels, underwear, an extra set of dresses, tights, video games, I hear they also had the latest play station. And probably more things I forgot."

"Well, thanks," she said, looking at the time. It wasn't even close to one hour. She wanted to spend each minute of that hour free, doing her own thing.

"And behave," said the Professor.

"Oh, I'm sure we'll behave," said Buttercup. After all, how could they misbehave?

"Well, have fun!" said the Professor.

A thought came to her. "Say, Professor, have you heard from Ms. Keane? I mean since the boys asked about her."

He went into deep thought. "Can't say that I have. She hasn't returned my text messages or my emails. And I haven't been able to contact her at all."

"Where do you think she is?"

"Probably visiting relatives. She has dozens of them out in the country and even in Europe. Some, I heard, living in remote places. And some are hillbillies living in places that can't be reached by phone. I think she's on one of those visits."

"Did she give word where she'll go?"

"Not really," he said.

"Did you try to contact those relatives and ask if she's with them?"

"Haven't tried," said the Professor. "For one thing, I don't know any of them. Except for her parents living at the edge of town, and I'm sure she wasn't there. I called right after the boys left and she wasn't there."

"Thank you," said Buttercup.

* * *

…

She went to the living room, and played some video games, waiting out the time.

When it was about five minutes to two o'clock, she finished her game, said goodbye to the Professor, picked up the three big trunks, and flew to the Rowdyruff home, carrying her blanket with her. She would need its power and strength.

Not that anything terrible could happen to her—it was just a game, but she felt that if she didn't play this right, something terrible would happen to Ms. Keane. She would have to control her natural aggressiveness to play it like how Bubbles and Blossom played it.

…

* * *

 _ **98 (187). Buttercup's Blanket**_

She was in front of the Rowdyruff Door. She took a deep breath and knocked.

Butch opened the door.

He nodded and held the door as she entered, with the three big trunks on one hand, and her blanket under the arm of her other hand.

She placed the trunks on the floor, the rest of them looking at her as she did so. Brick was standing. Besides him was the bound gagged Blossom. Boomer and Bubbles were behind them, and on the floor was what seemed like their house in miniature made up of Lego.

"Mpphhhpp!" Blossom said, her eyes thankful.

"You returned," said Brick.

"Yes, and I know what will happen," Buttercup said nonchalantly as she walked to the couch, and sat on it. "Nice house. Who made it?"

Bubbles looked at Boomer, and she nodded happily.

"So, Boom Boy's got some talent besides drawing," mocked Buttercup as she examined it. And it was impressive.

"Ahem!" she heard, and she looked around, and Butch was approaching her with rope.

"Well, get on with it!" she said.

"Put it down," Butch ordered from behind her, referring to her blanket that she was still clutching.

"I don't wanna!" she whined.

"Don't push it!" he said with a stern voice.

She was tempted to defy them, to struggle, but she knew it was futile with three boys present. She looked and saw Boomer and Brick looking at her with sharp eyes, ready to pounce in case she resisted. "Oh, don't get all testy. I returned, didn't I? If I didn't want to play this game, I would have flown the coop and left my sisters to their fate!"

She tossed the blanket to the couch. "And don't do anything to it! Or I swear I'll gonna make you sorry after this game is over!"

"That old thing? We won't do anything to it," Brick said as Buttercup felt her arms being pulled behind her by Butch and rope being tied around her wrists. She really wanted to struggle but squelched any desire. It was for the good of Ms. Keane, after all. It all became academic when she looked down and saw her counterpart tying a short orange rope on her arms.

Rope was tied around her waist and over her hands. Then on her feet and knees.

She was helpless.

Then suddenly, she felt her special blanket being wrapped around her. "What… what are you doing?" she asked Butch.

"Felt like it," said Butch. "You seemed a little too attached to it." He then tied rope over her at the shoulders, again at the waist, and at the knees, effectively putting the blanket in place.

And it felt nice. The blanket that comforted her, that gave her strength, and power would be with her in captivity. She could hear Bubbles and Blossom giggling under their gags, while Brick and Boomer had a puzzled look on their faces.

"I am a great fighter, I am a great fighter!" she began mumbling involuntary.

"What?" asked Brick.

"Ha, you boys are in for it now! You see, this blanket is the true source of my strength and power! And by wrapping me in it, I will become stronger, and I will have the power to break these ropes, orange rope and all!"

The giggles from her sisters became even louder.

And Brick and Boomer looked at her like she was crazy.

Except for Butch, who said, "really? How did you get it! I want one!"

"I don't know how, but I just knew!" she declared.

"Well, I would just have to steal it after this is all over. Or demand it as ransom. If it could make a weak Powerpuff like you strong and powerful, just think of how strong it could make me, the Baron of Berserk!"

"Don't you dare," said Buttercup.

Butch grinned, and stroked part of the blanket, and began to mumble as he did so, "I am a great fighter! I am the Baron of Berserk, Butch! I will conquer the world for Brick!" She could not tell if he was sincere or if he was just mocking her.

His green eyes opened, and said, "Wow! This really does work! I felt like a million bucks! No wonder you're the toughest Powerpuff."

At that, they heard loud laughter. Brick and Boomer were on the floor.

"Oh, that is rich! Butch, Butch, the toughest ruff! The most violent of us think a little blanket would make him strong!" Boomer shouted.

"That's stupid! Dumb! Dumber than the Dumbest!" Brick said.

"Oh shut up," Butch said, going over and kicking his oldest brother on the stomach. "So what? I'm gonna get something of my own that would make me stronger! A blanket? A rug? A pillow? If Buttercup has one, I gotta have one too!"

Brick coughed a bit as the kick was strong, then said, "Don't waste your time," said the leader. "You know it's baloney."

"It's not!" said Butch. He gave a kick to the ribs of the laughing Boomer. "Stop it! Or I'll beat you up until you do. You can't fight me laughing!"

Both his brothers stopped laughing, clutching the part of their bodies that was kicked and did not say anything.

"And as for you," Butch looked at Buttercup, "I think I'll take this blanket from you!"

"Don't you dare!" Buttercup threatened, glaring at him.

"You want to keep this round you?" asked the green ruff.

"You'd better let me keep this!" she threatened.

"You want it? Fine. But one peep out of you and I'll tie you without this."

She glared at him but got the message. More than ever, she would try to behave. She would hate it if she lost her special blanket. At least with it around, she can get through with her ordeal.

She made a small nod. It was the most she would give her captors.

Butch grabbed a big handkerchief on the couch, rolled it up, and said to Buttercup, "Open wide."

She glared at him as she opened her mouth. He popped the cloth in, gagged her like the others were gagged, and finished by wrapping tape very tightly around her head to hold everything in.

Buttercup was surprised. She never expected a Neanderthal like Butch to believe her about her blanket. And to defend its efficacy as her source of power, and to wrap her in it while tied up.

Either that or Butch was an extremely good actor.

Being covered with her favorite blankie was good compensation to being bound and gagged. She felt stronger becasue of it.

 _I am a great fighter! I am a great fighter! I am a great fighter!_

Too bad he figured that her blanket could become a source of weakness also. Who knew such a big brute as Butch could think of that?

* * *

 _ **99 (288). Watching and Playing Video Games**_

"So, what do we do with them?" asked Boomer, looking at the three captive girls.

"Show them the library. I wanted to see their eyes when they see our books!" Brick proudly said.

Buttercup rolled her eyes. _Please, anything but that_! She had enough of books from Blossom! And she really didn't want to be forced to read or anything.

"What do you think, Pinky?" the leader asked.

"MMMphhh!" And a nod at the same time from Blossom.

"Princess?" Boomer asked. "The rest of my fairy tales are there too. And a lot of other storybooks."

There was a gentle nod from Bubbles.

"I want to play video games," said Butch.

"Mmpphh mpphh hmmnnng," Buttercup said. _Don't take me to that boring place!_ Buttercup shook her head. And shook it more vigorously.

"So you'd rather watch Butch here play games?"

That sounded far better than going to a boring old library, so she nodded.

"You don't know what you're missing!" Brick said, and told Blossom and Bubbles, "hop after me!"

He walked towards the corridor leading to the kitchen, with the pink and blue puffs hopping after him, and Boomer bringing up the rear.

Butch looked at Buttercup. "You're gonna sit beside me! Let's see if that blanket gives video game luck!"

He picked her up, put her on the couch, and set up the play station. It was _Zombies_ , the same game she had been playing before she got kidnapped.

His hand on the controller, he began to play.

Buttercup snickered. She preferred to play but watching him play video games would be a better alternative than reading in the library.

She wanted to mock his poor skill in playing, to preen about how superior she was in this game, how he sucked compared to her, the Queen of Zombies! After, she was an Ogre! He a mere Baron! A low level noble to a magical creature. She was sure she would get entertainment watching his poor play. She thought of all the ways to insult him when she could talk again.

"Now I'm going to show why I am the Baron of Berserk, not only in fights and power, but also in Video Games!" he said in a low voice, his body twitching in excitement. _Wait._ He twitched for video games too, not just fights?

He started with level one. She had to admit that he was very skilled. He showed her tricks she never knew before, killed the zombies in ways that she had not even thought possible. It was so fun! Yet he was not better than her—after all, this was still level one. She was set to begin level 17.

"Yahoo! That was easier than last time!" he shouted. "Perhaps that blanket does give me video game luck!"

She never considered that. Perhaps next time she plays video games, she will bring her blankie with her.

He blasted through level two to level eight with ease—not that it impressed her too much. After all, it was easy for her too. It was just—different from how she would have handled it. And Butch showed his violent streak. If Buttercup thought she was violent, then she was shocked by Butch's violence—he would kill innocent civilians in the game as long it won't hurt his score or disqualify him—with such evident and sadistic glee. She never even would have considered it—and she thought herself sufficiently violent. And yet she would never condemn him for that since it was merely a video game. And she would want to try it next time.

And she laughed! Laughed at innocent computer civilians being killed and shot by Butch in the game. Roared when blood splattered and covered the screen. Howled in approval as Butch shouted in glee before turning his attention to the zombies. After all, the humans would become zombies in the future, right? So why not kill them?

* * *

 _ **100 (289). Killing Zombies**_

Then there was level nine. Would he make it? She remembered how difficult it was. Hordes and hordes of them. It was a game breaker. It was the farthest Blossom had gone in this game—so she eagerly anticipated how Butch would handle it.

And he handled it like a pro. Dozens of dozens of zombies got killed, and a few civilians too. And she was shocked how killing the civilians first made the level easier—it destroyed the primary source of Zombie recruits, and instead of vast hordes in the thousands that the green puff had confronted, it only was hundreds for Butch.

 _Why didn't I think of that? I am violent Puff, those civilians were just computer sprites!_ She thought.

Then he was at level ten.

He blasted through the level, and through the following levels until he was in level fifteen. It was getting more difficult—she could tell as she had experience with it. And she was glad that he was having difficulty too—he was cursing more, and the silliness of some of his curses made her laugh. "You lobster-loving poop!" was one of his more sillier insults. "Pee in your Zombie head!" was another.

But he lasted without dying even once—a considerable feat—only she had such an accomplishment before.

He was her kindred spirit, even if she hated to admit it.

Now it was level 16. She braced herself. She had just completed it that morning. Should Butch achieve that, they would be equal.

"Fifteen was the farthest level I had gone," said Butch. "I'm going to beat level sixteen today."

 _Yeah right._ But she was apprehensive. If he beats that level—that meant that he was as good as her in the game. Something that she could never countenance.

But as he played, she found herself rooting for him—for him to contain and to kill all those overpowered freakish zombies. She remembered the difficulty those monsters gave her when she was trying to beat the level, and it gave her pleasure to see them die all over again. _Kill them! Blast them! Flatten their heads! Rip out their hearts, Butch!_

There was a moment when she tensed, and she could hear his breathing, as both their eyes were fixed on the big television screen. Things were getting desperate. He committed a tiny little mistake, a mistake she nearly made herself, but that almost killed him. His health was halved, and it wasted so much valuable time.

"Mphhh mpphhm jhpphhh!" _C'mon, you can do it! C'mon!_

At one moment, it seemed all was lost, as his health was nearly zero, and his time was almost up. But through skilled escaping skills, he was able to escape, get some time extension bonuses and was able to, by luck, gain some health.

Still, it was freakishly hard, and a big gamble. He plunged back into the horde, killing them with his rifle and his sword. Buttercup's eyes were on his health and on his time. He was killing dozens every second, but a few would damage him a little. Only a tiny bit. But all those tiny damages by hundreds of zombies added up, and his health was nearly zero when she looked at the time.

 _Oh My God! Only three seconds left!_

Then he killed the last zombie.

 _LEVEL 16 COMPLETE!_

There was silence for a while.

Then the cheering began! "Yeah! I got it! I beat level 16! Yahoo!" He smashed his fist on the controller, and the controller didn't break. She guessed that Mojo made the controllers Rowdyruff proof.

He began to jump and holler in the carpet, between the couch and the TV. "Yeah, I'm so great! I got it! I won! Yahoo!"

And Buttercup was happy for him. Even proud of him. It was satisfying to win when you thought you're going to lose because it was against all the odds.

Even if that meant that she and Butch were even in the video game category.

But at least her level 16 victory was way easier than his! She could still brag about that!

Then he grabbed her while he was still in a celebratory mood and threw her upward.

She nearly shrieked as the ceiling approached, then she fell. Then she was again thrown—and hit it this time.

She was going to kill Butch. Then she panicked. She felt nothing at all. She wasn't hurt even as she fell back. Which meant that she cracked the roof.

Then she landed on his arms, and she was thrown upward again, but this time, she approached it, and she only reached just a few inches from the ceiling.

And she noticed there was no crack.

It was true!

She remained invulnerable. She wasn't hurt even if all her powers were suppressed. And her powers were just unutilized, as normally if she were thrown against a flimsy roof, the roof would be destroyed.

During the next minute or so, he tossed her in the air in joy, before putting her back on the couch, going to the kitchen, and returned with a glass of soda.

"A toast! For how great I am!" he said self-indulgently, before drinking.

She really wanted to play with him and beat him. Even if she knew deep inside that it wouldn't be easy, that would only make a win over him all the sweeter.

He sat down beside him and said, "This blanket really gives luck!" he laughed. "No wonder you have so much!"

He began to play level 17, but a second later, he pressed 'back' in the controller, and saved the game. "I think that's enough for that game, for today," he said and looked at Buttercup. "Or do you want me to continue?"

She shook her head. It was one thing for him to equalize her record. And it was another matter for him to beat her. She wasn't going to allow it.

"I'm glad. That was exhausting! Let's try another game," he said, going over the game cartridges. Buttercup hoped that it would be just as violent and exciting as the zombie game.

* * *

 _ **101 (290). Library Hijinks**_

 _Meanwhile…_

Blossom hopped behind Brick as they passed through the corridor, the dining room and kitchen, and another hallway. Bubbles was behind her, with Boomer taking up the rear. The leader of the Rowdyruff Boys led them to a small library, the size of the room of the Powerpuff Girls. It was an extension of the house that she had not noticed before, with large windows near the top, and a small skylight. There were two long fluorescent lights on the ceiling. The walls were painted white.

Against three sides on the walls were large bookshelves. It was but half filled. Her eyes widened. So many books—how could they afford it? She owned very many books, but not so much as to fill half a room. The Professor wouldn't spoil his daughters like that—because their father was a good man, who would want the best for his daughters. But right now, she desperately wished that the Professor did spoil them! But if they had so many books, why did they bother to read in the public library, or to try and ransom her books?

The shelves were tall, and there was a ladder. What was the ladder for since they could fly? Probably for Mojo.

On the floor was a thick red, blue, and dark green carpet. There were four tables, and four chairs on the middle—for each of the ruffs and Mojo. There was also a desktop computer at the edge of a table, between the walls and the shelves, with a big sign above— _NO PLAYING GAMES. NO PLAYING OF VIDEOS OR MUSIC UNLESS YOU USE HEADPHONES. ONLY FOR RESEARCH. And_ no printer.

"We have another computer for printing, games, that sort of stuff. This one's only used for reading and research," he said. "Mojo has his own in the lab."

"Mmjmmph!" _Amazing!_ Blossom said.

"Pinky, follow me. Bubbles, you go with Boomer," he instructed as he went to the bookshelf by the right wall.

Blossom looked at the books. It was all general information, history, chemistry, math, and other subjects. "I'm going to point at each, and if you want to read, just nod your head. If you don't want to, just shake your head. Got it?"

The Pink Puff nodded.

He began pointing at the books, and Blossom read title after title. She was curious. She would rather skim, but she knew she cannot do that. And a lot of his books she had already read. Finally, he pointed to a book titled, _Inventions of the World_. It sounded interesting, and she had not read it, so she nodded.

He got the book and motioned for her to follow him. He led her to one of the tables, pulled the chair, told her to sit, and adjusted it once she was seated. He got a book stand and put the book on it. And opened the first pages.

"Just nod or say something if you want me to turn the page, just like what we did in the library," whispered Brick. "But not too loud. Your sister is reading too."

She glared at him—as if she could even try being loud with that gag! He smirked. She wanted to throttle him.

Besides her, on the table next to her, was Bubbles, sitting, and Boomer obediently turning the page of a storybook.

* * *

…

Her pink eyes went to the first page of Brick's book. She first looked at all the pictures, read all the captions, before commencing on the main text. And she began reading. It was about ancient inventions. She read about the wheel-how it was invented, and how it impacted the lives of the people.

Then she came to the next page. She nodded her head.

Brick turned the page.

She continued reading. And she learned more about the wheel and saw more pictures. It was fascinating and very informative.

Then after she was done with the two pages, she nodded again, and Brick turned the page.

Then she began learning about the plow, and how it was attached to the ox, and how it changed agriculture forever…

…

* * *

And she was lost in reading. Her mind absorbed all that she had read. It was fascinating! She learned about things she never knew before, and she discovered that some of the things she knew were wrong. The act of nodding her head became mechanical, as her eyes devoured the words.

And to think that Brick had read this book before her!

She needed to double down if she was to ensure that the Bludgeoner would not become smarter than her.

* * *

 _Later…_

It took her forty-five minutes, but she finished the entire 300-page book. Granted, the text was large, and there were many illustrations, but considering her current situation, it was fast.

Brick returned the book to the shelf, and she hopped after him.

"Want to read another book?" he asked in a whisper.

She nodded.

He pointed at the books.

She nodded at a book titled _The Middle Ages_ when Brick pointed at it.

He got the book and put it on the book stand. Blossom sat down. She began to read, nodding her head when it was time for him to turn the page.

* * *

 _ **102 (291). It's Time**_

 _Meanwhile…_

Bubbles hopped behind Boomer as he led her to the bookshelf by the left wall. The blue puff looked at the end wall and saw piles of comic books on it, which presumably, based on what Boomer had told her before, was Butch's. By the left wall, where the blond ruff led her, were his own, as she scanned the titles. It was all storybooks—a lot of which were fairy tales. Most of which she already read.

"I'm going to point at it one by one, and if you wanted to read, nod, okay?"

She nodded.

He began pointing to the books. A lot of them she already knew the story of, so she was looking for something unfamiliar.

And then his hand pointed to _Peter Pan; or, the Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up by J. M. Barrie. 1911._

She nodded _._

"This thing? I haven't read that one yet. I heard it wasn't like the Disney movie. It's the original book written way before," said the blond. "Want to read it?"

It sounded like it was fun, so she nodded.

He got the book and led her to a table in the middle of the library. She looked around and saw Blossom was still trying to select a book. Boomer got a bookstand, helped Bubbles sit, and opened the first page.

"Just nod if you're finished, okay?"

She nodded.

The book was new, but the style was ancient. It was very readable, despite its old style. And the old illustrations were charming.

She glanced at her side, and she could see that Boomer too was reading. Wasn't that adorable?

They were reading were a little bit slow, since Boomer sometimes needed to get the dictionary to find the meaning of some words used. She supposed that the words were well known to kids in 1911 in England, but not in Townsville in 2005. Boomer would always whisper to her the meaning of words he did not understand after reading the dictionary, but it was irritating that she cannot tell him what words she didn't know, but that he clearly already knew.

Still, it was fun to find out about the adventures of the boy who flew, and of Wendy Darling.

…

* * *

 _Later…_

Brick was lost in his reading that he barely noticed the time. He was reading, with Blossom, a book that he has not read before, about the basic structures of Robots. He glanced at his watch, and it was about 7:55 p.m. That was nearly six hours of reading since they started at two in the afternoon! And Blossom was not yet tired or bored. In fact, she kept nodding, indicating that she wanted him to turn the page of the book.

His red eyes widened. He gently nudged Boomer, who was sitting beside Bubbles, also lost in reading.

His brother was silently startled and looked at him as if Brick was mad for interrupting him. Brick pointed to his watch.

And Boomer nodded. He understood.

"Girls!" Brick suddenly said in a loud voice, and both Blossom and Bubbles looked at him.

"Tell us!" Boomer said.

"It's nearly eight. Time for your ransom to be paid!" he said.

There was relief in their eyes.

"Let's go to the living room and join Butch," the leader said.

He felt hungry, as they had not eaten dinner. But it was deliberate. If all went well, they would dine with Ms. Keane, and the Girls would be free.

He hoped that HIM would be true to his word and free the teacher. He really wanted to untie the girls, as it was tiring babysitting them! The novelty of having them as their captives, utterly helpless, had worn off. And he really disliked _acting_ so kind and considerate to his enemies, even if they were in a truce! It was so out of character for an evil Rowdyruff Boy! All because he had to pretend to that lobster that he really was kidnapping the girls!

 _Free her, please! You promised! We did your damned crime against the persons of the Powerpuff Girls! And they knew we did it! And we kept them bound and gagged all throughout the day!_

 _Keep your word, HIM!_

End of chapter 10

As always, please do me a favor and review if you've read this chapter. Reviews really lighten my day and makes me very happy. Thank you very much for reading!

* * *

 **Author Notes**

I apologize for the long wait. It's just that I've been extremely busy during the past few months that I have barely time for fanfiction. I only recently got a momentary reprieve from all of that, but it won't last. Don't worry, I'll continue this story, but updates will be a lot slower than before. I'll try to still make frequent updates, and I promise that I will finish this story.

And thanks to all the reviewers. You really encouraged me to finish this chapter.

* * *

To **Guest** ,

 _this story is amazing,but then agein buttercup is golden and cool the others are wimps and weak i always see this kind of stories,it's not different ,i'm sorry but this is true!i i even get my hopes droped by seeing something not like that,it is a sin to just see someone love blossom whith out hating her in the story beacuse shes a not real and i'm not talking about you,beacuse you are actully amzing and cool ,i just want to see the real characters ,is that to much?i just hope not..._

Don't worry. Blossom and Bubbles are not wimps. There's a reason they're acting this way—they were trying to speed up the boys' becoming good, was indicated in the previous story. They boys still think they're evil, and the girls know this, but Ms Keane is trying to slowly wean them out of it. And the girls were paying along. And there's more reasons, which will become clear.

* * *

To **Ash141** ,

 _Absolutely loved this chapter! They were all so adorable and the Boys were all so kind (ruse or not it was cute). It seems as if Blossom is putting the puzzle pieces into place, wonder if she'll figure it all out (most likely, this IS Blossom after all). And Buttercup being given more freedom, that spells trouble, maybe._

 _I always think about how Brick would comfort Blossom when she's upset but what about the other way around? Here's what I think she would do:_

 _Brick is crying and Blossom wants to comfort him but he's a RowdyRuff Boy and probably wouldn't want a girly sissy hug or anything like that so she would see the crown that she got him for his birthday and grab it, she'd take off his hat and gently place the crown on his head, he'd look up at her in confusion and shock with some tears still slipping out, she might brush the hair out of his face and wipe away some of his tears while whispering in a soft voice, "Don't cry Brick, you're a King. You need to be brave for your subjects." Then she'd proceed to bow (curtsy?) to him and give him a small smile while blushing. Don't exactly know what Brick would do in that situation but it probably would make him feel better, if not extremely happy._

 _Anyway, amazing chapter as always and can't wait for the next one! Until next time._

As Always, thanks for the kind reviews. I'm very sorry for not replying earlier, and for being absent so long, but I have reasons. Please don't be mad.

What Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup knows would become clear. As of this chapter, Buttercup suspects something, but nothing more than that. But enough to keep her playing the "game."

And that's really a cute, cute scenario. I'll try to put it in the story in the future.

And yes, that would make Brick extremely happy.

* * *

To **dhanna1988** ,

 _Chapter 2_

 _First off I would like to apologize for not reading and reviewing each chapter as they came out. I really thought I had hit the follow button as well as the favorite but I didn'tI also got distracted by real life stuff these last few months._

 _Now on to my review: This chapter was great. I really love the blues in this one. Boomer reading to Bubbles and feeding her was adorable. I also liked how Bubbles managed to outsmart Blossom with her plan to sleepover at the RRB house._

 _And HIM trying to get Butch to turn on Brick. For someone who was watching/spying along from when they were resurrected he sure missed all the brotherly bonds and loyalty that the boys have always had._

 _All in all another fun chapter to read. Good job!_

Don't worry, I understand. I'm extremely at the moment. I just got a momentary free time to do this. Real life takes precedence over fanfic, after all.

Bubbles and Boomer are becoming close. And yes, HIM missed everything that happened. He only just began to learn what had happened.

 _Chapter 3_

 _HIM you evil son of a gun what have you done to Ms. Keane? I hope the boys realize it's HIM and maybe team up with the puffs to rescue her._

 _Another great chapter._

Just read the following chapter to see what HIM did to her. And yeah, in a way, the girls are "teaming" up with the boys to rescue Ms. Keane.

* * *

To **mayflowerbel** ,

 _I have a suggestion. What if Boomer eventutally was able to control electricity?Not with his bat, but on his own. That would be so cool! And will ypu ever add Bunny? I'd love to see the boys reaction to her._

 _report review for abusemayflowerbel chapter 1 . Feb 9_

 _I have a question. What do they look like? Do they looklike ordinary 6 year olds? Because people would notice if they had huge eyes right? I'm still really confused about that part._

The suggestion about electricity is really cool, though sadly, any control he have would be through his bat. As for Bunny, I haven't made a decision on it.

Yes, they looked like ordinary six years old. As for their huge eyes, people though the PPG were ordinary girls too until they played tag with their superpowers.

* * *

To **Guest** ,

 _Can you continue_

Your wish is my command!

* * *

To **Star-S2002,**

 _You have no idea how disappointed I am to see that this isn't completed yet! The first book, Education for Power, kept me on my toes and made me want to screech up to the heavens! Amazing, this is awesome! And the plan of the ruffs to pretend kidnapping is very clever! I hope that they'll be able to get Ms. Keane back though...I feel sad for those evil midgets missing their beloved teacher! And hopefully, Buttercup is going to get close with Butch soon like the other puffs had! This was an amazing read. I loved wasting my time reading your work. Well done! Looking forward for the next chapter!_

Yes, I'm disappointed too that I haven't been able to update as fast as I did, but I was extremely busy. Sorry.

Thanks. I'm glad you like my previous story.

And yes, it's very clever. It built off the previous kidnapping games they had with Bubbles. As for Buttercup becoming close to Butch, this chapter may be a start.

And once again, thanks for your wonderful words.

* * *

To **Ale123456,**

 _Chapter 1_

 _The idea of the antidote x rope is very interesting! I imagine it will have some very bad implications in the future, though..._

 _I am excited that you wrote a part 2 to your other story :)_

 _And it's an interesting start so far._

Yes, the rope has implications, though whether it's bad or good remains to be seen. Still, it should not fall into the wrong hands, or else…

 _Chapter 2_

 _HIM as a villain will definitely be a very big challenge for everyone involved. Yikes. That will make for a very interesting story with some very tough obstacles to overcome. I'm very excited to read this story :D_

 _And I'm glad that the boys are so loyal to each other! I really like reading about their sibling bonding. I'm worried about HIM's planning, though._

HIM really is a sinister and unconventional villain. Unlike the other villains, you can't just punch him and be done with it. His tricks are far more subtle.

The time they were dead really made the brothers closer to each other compared to what we see in the series.

 _Chapter 3_

 _Yikes, I'm excited and worried at the same time about HIM's plots. It will likely take entirely too long for the girls to catch on (I'm sure there will be misinterpretations too). I'm curious about if we'll finally learn about the tortures HIM put the boys through, as well as if the girls will learn of what happened (I'm sure it doesn't matter either way, but they'll definitely be able to help the boys get out of this situation if they actually let the girls know about it...)_

You're right about the girls taking too long to catch on. Until now, they still haven't totally caught on. As for the girls knowing about it, the boys would be too proud to tell HIM. It would too humiliating. It would hurt too much to tell and remember.

 _Chapter 6_

 _Ooh, very smart coming up with ways to still fulfill HIM's requests without actually getting caught._

 _I'm sure the next one will be even more explicit. I'm guessing commit a crime on a powerpuff girl so that they know it's them. (?) And they will kidnap one of them (since kidnapping is definitely a crime) but it will be like a game..._

 _But then again maybe not since they've brought the stolen items to HIM, so that wouldn't work..._

 _I'm hoping the girls figure it out on the last task._

 _And HIM will just get even nastier towards the boys if they do manage to outsmart him again..._

 _I've got a really bad feeling for the future (Although I do expect a happily ever after ending ultimately :)_

You've guessed it right about the kidnapping and thinking that it would be a game. Congratulations!

The boys have been very clever. It's one of the advantages of living with Mojo. He thinks like a villain and thief, and knows how to commit crimes and not get caught.

Hopefully, HIM won't be nasty, but you never know with that freakish lobster.

 _Chapter 7_

 _I think Ms. Keane is pushing the boys/girls team merger thing a bit too hard. I don't want to see the boys turn on her (not that they would seriously, but if she keeps pushing it, they might feel a bit betrayed)._

 _And geez, this is going to be a hard one to beat, but I'm still guessing it's going to be the kidnapping thing since it's been hinted at. Maybe not, but that's what I'm betting on atm._

 _And their way of getting around HIM has been pretty clever so far. I hope the girls figure it out soon. Blossom knows something's up, and the fact that Brick keeps blaming HIM might come out as a hint to her...hopefully..._

 _Looking forward to the next chapter!_

Yes, Ms Keane is, but you can't blame her. After all, all she did with the boys was a major success. And she really wanted to the boys to become good in thought as well as in deed.

And yes, it is kidnapping!

As for the girls finding out about it, just wait!

 _Chapter 8_

 _Eeeek, I have a really bad feeling about this._

 _And I was right, yes!_

 _My new guess is that HIM will see the girls and thank the boys for kidnapping them (or something where he's saying that they did it on purpose and try to turn them against each other). I'm hoping their bond will be strong enough to help them get out of it with everyone still together..._

Yup, you're right. As for how HIM will react, it all depends whether he really believes the boys actually really commited a crime. If he learns that the girls think it's a game, then…

 _Chapter 9_

 _Ah, a cliffhanger ending! I should have expected it :(_

 _I hope you update this story soon. it's been awhile since the last update, but not too long. I hope you come back. I'm really enjoying the story._

 _I wonder what the professor has to say to Buttercup? Hmmmmm..._

Well, I hope you like this update too. I'm back, though I can't say when I'll be back again. And thanks for enjoying the story.

As for what the Professor said, this chapter answers that question.

* * *

To **Rekker Autobot,**

 _Something that desperately needs to happen, let me tell you..._

 _Well, when I finished education for power do you know what I kept wondering? What would happen if it the boys found out about the trickery on the part of the girls that was involved in the closing up treaty negotiations? How would that affect things?_

 _How would the ruffs react to knowing, that even after all the work they did to get smarter, the girls still pulled a fast one on them, got them to do something they really really really didn't want to do?_

 _How betrayed, enraged, incensed, and ridiculed/humiliated would they feel? How high on a 1 to 10 scale of no longer being motivated to go to school would they be?_

 _What if they decided to follow HIM willingly? What if, to that end, the lobster clawed demon uses the fact that he didn't lie to, or trick the boys, the way the girls did? What if the boys discover Miss Keane's involvement, and turn against her?_

 _All these things and more are why I think you should make the boys find out about Blossom's bluff. It would make for a good plot point twist, with a lot of wonderous conflict/angst potential, just begging to be made use of._

 _Other than that, liking the story so far._

They would feel humiliated if they found out that it was just a bluff. But at this point in the story, too much has happened between them and Ms. Keane to them to fully turn on her. And Ms Keane can just deny everything and the boys will believe her 100%. And given what happened in hell, they would never willingly return to HIM.

As long as Ms Keane outwardly supports the goal of the boys to rule the world, even if just in words, the boys will follow her. As long as she doesn't become preachy and preaches about morality etc and being good.

Anyway, thanks for reading my story!

* * *

To **William F Somebody,**

 _I hope everything will turn out for the better._

I hope so too.

* * *

To **John,**

 _Please please update!_

Your wish is my command. I hope it wasn't too long a wait.


	11. II (VI) - The Rescue

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Powerpuff Girls. It is owned and created by Craig McCraken, and by Cartoon Network.

* * *

 **An Education From HIM**

Peace reigns between the Powerpuff Girls and Rowdyruff Boys. Even as the boys claims that they remain evil, they become close to their counterparts, becoming penpals and playmates to each other. Yet HIM watches, and vows to shatter their peace. Chapter 11. The Boys fulfilled their part of the bargain. Will HIM fulfill his part and free their beloved teacher? And what of Mojo Jojo?

 **Book II (VI)**

 **The Tasks**

* * *

 **Chapter XI (XXX)**

 **The Rescue**

* * *

 _Please, please, leave a review. Thank you._

* * *

 _ **103 (292). Pictures**_

The girls hopped to the living room. Blossom was glad. Five minutes more! She hoped that their ransom would be paid for real. She did not know how much more she could take. It was about six hours straight, since about two in the afternoon, that they've been tied. Thankfully, Brick made it bearable by making time fly. She really enjoyed both the quiz in the form of the True or False and the Multiple Choice game, and also got much enjoyment out of reading his books.

She never knew he could be so kind and considerate. And she enjoyed his company. Now if he only acted like that when they were free!

Now was the time. She wondered who it was that Brick got to pay for the ransom. Or what the ransom would be. She was sure it was not the Professor since she doubted the Bludgeoner would include their dear-old-Dad in such a game.

But at last, they would be free! F _ree! Free_! And they would give the boys a piece of their mind for prolonging their game so much. If it wasn't for Ms. Keane…

They hopped, and her eyes widened. There was Buttercup, leaning on Butch, who was clutching a controller. How long had they been playing? On the floor were dozens of discarded cartridges, and judging by their eyes, Butch had been playing all afternoon and all night, and she had been watching—her attention fixed on the violence of the game.

Blossom nearly fumed. If she could talk, she would give a stern lecture on her for wasting her time on video games and corrupting her mind with violence. Really, if she wanted violence, she could have it in their training simulation.

And she would talk to Brick to tell him to discipline his middle brother. Because if Butch would continue to act so immature, then he could be a bad influence on Buttercup. And her task of disciplining her middle sister would get harder.

"Die! Die you stupid monster!" the green ruff shouted as Butch's character emitted laser eyes and struck the monster! "Yeah! Yahoo! I win!" he shouted, and Buttercup yelled too.

"I'm glad you're finished," said Brick. "Look at the time."

"Already?" asked Butch.

"Yes. Let's prepare the girls."

What did Brick mean, for prepare?

"Pinky, sit on Buttercup's left. Bubbles, on Blossom's left."

Both girls obeyed, hopping to their respective places.

Butch cleaned up his mess, unplugging the Play-station from the television, and putting the game cartridges in their respective places.

Boomer left and returned with an old-style Polaroid camera. "Now girls," said the blonde, "look at the cameras, and look like you're mad or distressed! Act like you're really kidnapped by evil bad guys."

It was easy to act like it. The boys made the game so realistic that it wasn't hard to act like they were tired and wanted to be free and wanted this game to end.

He took several pictures. He then got another camera, a digital one, and took more pictures.

* * *

 _ **104 (293). HIM's Plans**_

Brick looked on as Boomer took the last of his pictures. The photos were for HIM. It was to show the red lobsterman that they really did kidnap the girls. It was to make him believe that it was a real kidnapping and it wasn't a fun game. The expression on their faces and their eyes would be all that he would need to convince him that what they did was a real crime.

…

* * *

Boomer set up their DVD player and popped in a recently released movie, _Chicken Little._

As the girls settled in watching, the three boys quietly sneaked out.

They went upstairs to Brick's room and called out. "HIM! It's time!"

…

* * *

HIM was in his pink room, watching his exercise show. He was wearing green exercise gear, and he was on his couch, following the instructions.

"One, two, three! Come on girls! You can do it!" the voice in the television said. Normally, he would have watched the boys and the girls in their predicament, but it happened to be the day of his favorite exercise workout. Too bad it conflicted with the last day of the tasks of the boys. Still, he checked them occasionally. All throughout, the girls were held captive, bound and gagged, except when they were fed lunch and given bathroom breaks afterward.

The girls would hate the boys after this! _Hate them, hate them, hate them_! They broke the truce! They violated the agreement! And with the boys forbidden to tell the girls the real reason for their captivity, their relationship was irreparable. And with the boys isolated, hurt, and broken, it would be easier to take the boys into his fold once more and manipulate them into being his servants and lackeys like they were before. It was going to be fun breaking their spirit and independence.

Oh, it was amusing to see them try to get out of the grip of the Evilest of Evil. He had to admit, it was entertaining to see them use HIM's words against him regarding the first two tasks. But HIM worded his third task carefully, and the boys would have no choice but to break their agreement with the girls. HIM expected the girls to get beaten up or killed but kidnapping them was the next best thing.

And he had something even eviler up his sleeve. If the boys were stupid enough to fall for it, the Powerpuff Girls would be his forever.

Oh, he was so clever! He remembered one time he played a similar game with the Powerpuff Girls, making them do various tasks or the Professor would "pay"! Of course, the Professor at that time was not really in danger, and their tasks were more mundane. And he remembered the time he made the girls beat up their loved ones by possessing them and making them evil. But that was foiled when the girls beat up their loved ones.

How would the boys get out of the predicament he put them in?

THEY WON'T!

"And one, and two, and three!" he said as he rotated his legs as he exercised, following the video.

"HIM!" he suddenly heard. "It's time."

"Time already?" HIM wondered, irritated at the interruption. He looked at the clock. 8:05 pm.

"Yes, it's time. Let's see if the boys would be good puppies! Too bad they had to interrupt my favorite show," he said to himself in his high-pitched voice.

He waved his hands and disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

* * *

 _ **105 (294). The Refusal**_

He smiled as he saw the boys in their room.

Brick had a wicked grin on his face. He was holding photographs. "Look at this. We just took it! They were our captives all day! Isn't it a lovely crime to kidnap the greatest superheroes of Townsville?"

HIM took the pictures and gave a happy smile. His boys were living up to their end of the bargain. It was indeed a despicable crime. Look at the eyes of the girls. So scared, so angry, so tired! He could see it in their eyes. They hate their captors.

This would be so delicious!

"Aren't we great?" Butch said, laughing. "We took them against their will, tied them up tight all day long, made them miserable!"

"Yeah! We did evil! We're criminals!" Boomer boasted.

HIM was so happy with the boys.

"You can see them for yourself!" said Brick. "Show yourself to our captives! That would be glorious!"

"Oh no! Not that! You won't trick me into revealing my role in this!" said HIM. "I'm going to watch from here."

He waved his hand, and a television appeared against the wall. It came alive, and on the screen, they saw the three Powerpuff Girls, tied and gagged, on the couch.

"That is so sweet!" HIM said, looking at his adversaries.

"And now, we've done our part," said the Bludgeoner.

"Yes. We committed a crime against the persons of all Powerpuff Girls!" the blond continued. "Ain't we evil?"

"Yes! Evil! We did everything! So now, do what you said you'd do! We did all three tasks!" Butch added.

"Free Teacher Keane!" Brick shouted.

"Oh yes, you did well!" said the lobsterman. "Yes, yes, your teacher will be released. But before that, I want to say, thank you."

"Um, for what?" asked the boys.

Can they be so dense?

"For giving me what I wanted!"

"Huh?" asked Boomer.

"The Girls! The Powerpuff Girls!" said HIM.

"What about them?"

"Don't play dumb. You kidnapped the girls for me! Now they're all wrapped up like a Christmas Present, and helpless!"

"You want the Powerpuff Girls?" asked Boomer.

"Why yes! Wasn't that the reason you kidnapped them in the first place? Give them to me, and Ms. Keane would be yours once more!"

* * *

…

Brick looked at HIM. Did that freak really think that they kidnapped the girls for him? And did he think that he would give the girls to him?

A few months ago, he would have accepted the deal without hesitation. A few months ago, he would happily have handed over the girls in exchange for their beloved teacher. He _had_ hated the girls before.

But now, it was different. Not that his opinion of the Powerpuff Girls changed at all. Or that he began to like the girls! Or that he became closer to the Powerpuff Girls, especially Blossom. Or that his relationship with them was vastly different from before.

It was their knowledge of Ms. Keane's closeness and love for the Powerpuff Girls that changed. If the Powerpuff Girls were gone, they feared that it would kill their teacher. The girls were very precious and very close to their beloved Teacher. What use was there of freeing her from HIM if she would die within because the girls were gone?

He would be lying to himself if he denied that he wanted the agreement with the girls to succeed. They had become useful to him, as playmates, amusing companions, no doubt, and penpals too. It would be a waste to give it up to HIM. Not that he cared about them—no, he was evil, and they were his enemies, but it's more convenient to have the girls around, and sometimes, they were fun to be around with.

Even for their sworn enemies. No, he didn't care one iota for the girls.

And he was not in the mood to give something to HIM that they didn't agree to. He would not give HIM a single thing he wasn't entitled to. And the girls weren't his to demand.

His answer was clear. He stole a glance at his brothers, and their eyes told him everything. They were of the same sentiment.

And he knew how to refuse without looking soft.

"No."

* * *

 _ **106 (295). The Girls are Ours**_

…

HIM's smile disappeared when he heard the eldest ruff say, "No."

"What do you mean, no?" asked HIM. "Don't you want to save your teacher?"

"Of course. And we did all that you asked us to. We committed a crime against the Powerpuff Girls. We didn't promise to give the girls to you, and you didn't ask us for it before. So, you must release Ms. Keane, right now," the leader answered.

"But what are you going to do with the girls if you're not going to give them to me?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" said Brick.

"Don't play games with me, foolish boy! I hold the life of your beloved teacher! Give the girls to me, or your teacher would suffer!"

"Don't you dare do such a thing!" said Brick. "If you do so, I'll free the girls, and tell everything since we won't lose anything."

"You dare defy me?"

"We already did, when we chose Mojo. What's one more thing?" said Brick. "So why don't you release our Teacher?"

"Eager little fellow, aren't we? What're the girls to you? Why not give it to me!"

"We won't. You cannot have the Powerpuff Girls!"

"Why not?"

"Because they're ours."

"What?"

"The Powerpuff Girls are ours!" he repeated, exasperated.

"Don't tell me you've grown to like those wretched superheroes," mocked the lobsterman.

"Nothing's further from the truth," Butch said.

"What do you plan to do with them after this?" the demon inquired.

"Oh, we'll release them," Boomer answered.

"You'll what?"

"It's really simple, HIM. The crime we did is kidnapping. To be more precise, it's kidnap for ransom. Get it now?"

"So, you're holding them for ransom?" asked HIM.

"Correct. That's eviler and carries a greater penalty under state law than mere kidnapping. By demanding ransom, I commit a worse crime! Ain't I evil?" said Brick proudly with a perfect wicked grin.

"But why release them in the first place?" asked HIM.

"Because, I could kidnap them again, and gain more ransoms in the future! Sure, I could demand everything right now, but if I let them go, they'll buy new things, and make more money, and I could take it away by again kidnapping them again!" said Brick.

"Yeah. It's gonna be a cycle!" Butch asserted. "We'd be evil all the way."

HIM puzzled why his boys refused to hand over the girls. It would be so easy! The girls were helpless! Why?

Then suddenly, he realized something. They said _The girls are ours._

Of course!

A naughty smile formed on his face.

"Oh, I know what's up! You like the girls!" HIM said in a teasing tone.

"Huh?" Boomer said, scratching his head.

"What do you mean?" asked Butch.

"Yeah. They're our enemies who happened to have a truce and an agreement with us," said Brick.

"You like them! You know, like them?"

That sailed past their heads. "Like them? Huh? I guess you could say that," said Boomer. "They're friendly and all. But we're not friends if that's what you mean."

"Don't get the wrong idea just because we're not killing each other!"

HIM looked at them. They were seven-years-old. Of course, they would not get the hint.

Time to be blunt.

"I mean you know, like them like they are your really close friends. Like girlfriends?"

Then realization dawned on them as their eyes widened.

"No way! That's disgusting! I ain't doing nothing that would get me cooties!" said Brick, gagging.

"Yeah! Girls are bad and weird!" Boomer agreed. "All too soft and hard to understand. They play stupid dolls and dress-ups and like to do stupid kissy stuff!"

"And they wear dresses and are sissies and are weak!" Butch finished.

HIM gave a high-pitched laugh. "Then why don't you prove it? Give them to me?"

"No way!" said Brick. "We don't like them, but they're good company, and they'll be a good source of stuff in the future when we kidnap them again! Imagine the ransoms!"

"And Ms. Keane likes them enough, and don't want Teacher to be sad," Boomer said.

"Aw, and yet you don't like them and don't like romantic stuff?" asked HIM.

"Yeah! That's yucky!" Brick said.

"Yet you say the girls are yours!" said HIM.

"Well, they are. They are our captives. They are tied and gagged. We decide what they do, and when to free them. Until we free them, they're ours!" said Brick without flinching or being embarrassed.

 _Ah, the joys of being innocent_.

"Give me the Powerpuff Girls! Or you really like them!" said HIM, trying to provoke the boys.

"No!" Brick replied again. "And we don't like them! They're not yours! They're ours! Right boys?"

"Yeah! Ours!" Butch agreed.

"Yeah!" Boomer added.

* * *

 _ **107 (296). Giving Up**_

HIM was disappointed. He really hoped that this would be an excellent opportunity to get the Powerpuff Girls. Damn! He should've made his third task more specific. If he knew that the boys would have kidnapped the Powerpuff Girls to fulfill the task, he would have demanded that they give the girls directly to him.

HIM could renege on his word, but that was not his style. He was naturally playful and being playful meant following the rules of the game—even if he stacked things in his favor in making the rules. But he would never change it in the middle of the game. In the past, when he played with the Powerpuff Girls, he always retreated when the girls managed to outsmart him. And now, the boys, despite his best efforts, were outsmarting him!

Despite everything, despite ruining everything, that still made him proud. The boys that he had brought back to life became smart on their own, and now, beat the evilest of evil in his own game!

If only the boys would come back to him!

Time to retreat on the issue. He was beaten, but it was fun. Fun and the boys showed that they were as bit as good as the Powerpuff Girls.

So evil!

And he still gained his original goal. The Powerpuff Girls would hate the Rowdyruff Boys! The boys broke their truce by committing the horrific crime of kidnapping the girls! He's going to watch the girls see the boys for who they really were—still evil, ready to commit any crime. And when the boys are separated from the girls, the boys would be easier to gain for himself.

And he might as well get as much fun and embarrassment as he could. Something he could use against them in the future.

"Very well," said HIM. "The girls are yours."

"And our Teacher?" asked Brick with a firm voice.

"I return her to you. Still, you must do something for me!"

"What?" Butch asked.

"Oh, it's nothing. Just one simple thing."

"What?" asked Boomer. "If you think we'd give the Girls—"

"No, no, no!" laughed HIM. "It's really simple. Since you won't give them to me because you say the girls are yours, I want you to repeat it. And maybe I could record it on tape?"

"Huh?" asked Brick, mystified at HIM's request.

HIM waved his arms, and a video camera on a tripod appeared.

"Just say again that the girls are yours. And do it with passion! And your beloved Teacher will be freed!"

"Um, okay!" said Brick, clearly puzzled. "Um, the girls are ours?"

"Say it with more feeling! With more pizazz!"

"Okay. The girls, the Powerpuff Girls, are Ours!" Brick said in a loud voice.

"And you two also!"

"The Powerpuff Girls are Ours!" Butch said in a low voice.

"The Powerpuff Girls are Ours!" Boomer said in a louder voice.

"Very good! Very good! Now, try to say it individually. Like your counterparts are yours."

"What?" asked Brick.

"Say that Blossom is yours."

"Why?" asked the ruff leader.

"I just want you to state a fact. Say that she is yours, all yours. Better yet, say her full name, and say that she is yours. Forever."

"Okay," said Brick, still having no idea what HIM wanted him to do.

"Okay. Three, two, one, and you're on!"

"BLOSSOM CATHERINE LYNN UTONIUM, COMMANDER AND THE LEADER OF THE POWERPUFF GIRLS IS MINE! ALL MINE! FOREVER AND EVER!" Brick said, in a loud voice.

"Very good! That's very very good!" said HIM. "Now, Butch."

"What's this all about?" he asked. "They're our captives. They're ours!"

"What harm will it do?" asked HIM.

"Oh okay. BUTTERCUP THERESE UTONIUM, THE TOUGHEST FIGHTER, IS MINE! ALL MINE! FOREVER AND EVER!" Butch nearly shouted.

"Is it my turn?" asked Boomer.

"Yes," HIM said, with the biggest grin he ever sported.

"BUBBLES JOY UTONIUM, THE JOY AND THE LAUGHTER, IS MINE! ALL MINE! FOREVER AND EVER!" he said in a thunderous voice.

"Good! All recorded! Do you know what you just said?"

"Well, we actually said that they're our captives, that we've kidnapped them and no other, but why did we say forever? We're gonna free them after the ransom arrives and they're not ours anymore," Brick asked.

"Oh nothing," said HIM, before collapsing into laughter. He'll have so much fun with the video as soon as they're older. Now, they're too young to understand what they've said.

But as soon as they're older…

"What so funny?" Boomer asked.

He stopped laughing as both boys had blank expressions on their faces.

"Free Ms. Keane now!" Brick demanded.

"Yes, yes. But one thing. You must not tell the Powerpuff Girls the real reason you kidnapped them! And the same goes for Ms. Keane. I assume you will tell her to keep her mouth shut?" HIM asked.

"That goes without saying," the leader replied.

"Good. Because if you renege, if I learn that you or Ms. Keane told the Powerpuff Girls that you kidnapped them to save your precious Teacher, then I'm going to get very angry. I am going to take away your teacher, and this time, you won't be able to save her! And I'm going to make you very miserable. Got it?"

"Got it!" said Brick. "The girls won't know what's this is all about."

* * *

 _ **108 (297). Sandy Keane in the House**_

Sandy Keane was anxious.

In her home in the middle of nothing, she was reading old magazines. She wished she had company, but she was not selfish enough to want someone to share her misery.

The magazines were of the old variety. Mostly in the 1970s and 1980s—magazines that she remembered in her parent's farm. She had nothing else to do at the moment. It carried news during that time—she saw an article about Mayor Jay Mayor looking very young in the 1970s. And he saw pictures of the Professor and herself when they were young—in a school photo about an article about Pokey Oakes. Oh, she missed those days.

She had already cleaned the house ten times over. Everything was spotless and shiny. There was very little dust—not surprising considering that she was living in the middle of a black void. She had explored every part of the house—from the basement to the attic. The cellar was traditional—with the heater and the washing machine, and a couple of old couches. On the attic were lots of junk—she had organized the junk to pass the time away—from old books to older appliances—there was even a black and white television set and an old-style phonograph and even old records. There was also an old original _Beatles_ record and even some of Elvis Presley's from the 1950s.

Where did HIM get this house?

Not that she was complaining—it was better than nothing, and it had a certain charm to it. Her imprisonment, or house arrest, was comfortable as far as physical things were concerned. She discovered domestic skills she never knew she had. The food in storage changed if she found that it was too monotonous or it wasn't to her taste. And the clothes were old-fashioned, yet comfortable. And the very fact that they were old-fashioned, more likely from the 1950s and the 1800s than in the 2000s, made it a delight to try and see how pretty she looked like.

But all those small comforts were scant consolation for the loneliness she felt and the fact that she was a prisoner. Looking out of the window and seeing the black void reminded her that she cannot leave. Every time she looked at the old-style phone, she was reminded that she cannot call anyone. She had picked it up one time, and it was dead—it might as well have been a toy. She wondered why HIM bothered to furnish the house with a phone—probably for the look and feel.

She was lonely and felt like a prisoner.

But her greatest worry concerned her boys.

She was shocked by their narration of the first two tasks. Stealing the _Diamond of Despair_! And the Powerpuff hotline! If the Powerpuff Girls found out, they'd be in trouble as the boys cannot admit doing it to save her. She was thankful that Mojo had helped them keep the illegal operations stealthy.

She had no doubt that they were doing the third task assigned to them. She knew that her boys would do all they could to save her and get her out of her prison. But at what cost?

What would HIM demand of her students?

She was worried.

The first demand was to commit a crime. The second was to commit a crime against the girls. What would be the third?

She hoped that the boys didn't do something they'd regret, even for her sake. She worried. What if she was rescued, only to find out that her boys were outlaws and open villains, and the Powerpuff Girls hated them?

That would be unbearable. All her plans, all her work, would be wrecked!

All because one lobster-like Devil cannot accept that the boys chose their real father as their father!

* * *

Her musings were interrupted by a cloud of smoke forming outside.

"Sandy!" she heard the high-pitched voice outside the house. "Come out, come out!"

She hurried out of the house and saw HIM standing on the grass in the front yard.

"Yes? What can I do for you?" she asked politely.

"Hello, Ms. Keane. I have some good news for you."

She maintained a neutral expression. "Yes?"

"The Rowdyruff Boys have completed the third task. You will be free."

"That's good news."

"You want to know what the third task was?"

"I'm curious."

"Well, I told them to commit a crime, a terrible crime, against the persons of the Powerpuff Girls, not just their property. And the Powerpuff Girls must know that it was the boys that committed that terrible crime. You know what the Rowdyruff Boys did?"

"No."

"They kidnapped the Powerpuff Girls. Held them captive all-day long. They held them for ransom. And they will release the girls after they got what they wanted," said HIM. "I don't need to tell you that you can't tell the girls the real reason why they did the crime."

"I know."

"Needless to say, something terrible will happen to both the boys and girls if you told them."

"I understand."

She maintained her calm expression, but inside, she was reeling. _What did you do, my boys! You didn't have to do it just for my sake!_

She could only hope that the girls would forgive the boys. Kidnapping the girls! That was terrible! Terrible! Terrible!

"So, you're sending me to the Rowdyruff home?" she asked.

"Oh no. If you just appeared out of nowhere, the girls might figure out what's going on," HIM said. "I'm sending you back to your house."

"Thank you."

"And I have to compliment you on the job you did. The boys really are smart and learned cleverness and common sense—things I never guessed they'd have."

He waved his hands, and Ms. Keane began to feel faint as her surroundings began to spin and she felt the ground under her feet begin to crumble.

* * *

 _ **109 (298). Mojo's Day**_

What was he doing here?

He was Mojo Jojo! A genius chimpanzee! Yet here he was, reduced to doing a stakeout outside the home of Sandy Keane, sitting in his ordinary car, waiting for the lights of the house to be switched on. What was he? Reduced to a regular cop doing work on missing persons?

He was here because of his sons. More specifically, his eldest son, the future Emperor of the World, Brick.

Even if he was irritated by this menial job, he still relished the struggle that he was part of. For this was a struggle against HIM. One that he would win for his sons. For the ultimate prize would be control and custody of the Rowdyruff Boys. And because he had gained them, he would give all to retain them. He would fight tooth and nail against HIM to maintain the allegiance of the three boys with superpowers.

He was glad to help. First with stealing the Diamond of Despair, and then the Powerpuff Hotline. Doing those had the added benefit of discomfiting the Powerpuff Girls, something that would never become old for the genius, even if he was pretending to be good. He imagined their shocked faces upon finding out that their precious hotline, the instrument that had led so much pain to Mojo before, suddenly disappear while they were having a picnic with the Rowdyruff Boys.

The first two tasks were easily accomplished. Only the third task remained.

…

* * *

But throughout most of the day, before he came home, he had no idea what the third task was. He stayed ignorant as he slaved away making the last modifications of the invention he intended to patent and mass produce. It was only when he returned and saw Buttercup Utonium tied and gagged in the living room, with Butch besides her, playing video games, that he an inkling what had happened.

* * *

 _Earlier…_

It was about five in the afternoon…

"What is going on here?" asked the monkey as he stared at Buttercup, bound and gagged, wrapped in a green blanket while Butch was beside her, playing video games.

Butch scarcely stopped by pressing the pause button, looked at him and said, "We kidnapped the girls. Brick will explain."

"Brick? Where is he?"

"The library, Pops," he said, and he unpaused the game, ignoring the genius.

What was going on?

He walked into the library and saw an even more astonishing sight—Blossom and Bubbles, tightly tied and gagged, sitting on chairs, and beside them, standing, reading with them, were their counterparts, occasionally flipping the pages.

"What is going on here?" he asked.

The kids looked at him, and Brick went beside him and said, "Pops, let's talk. Boomer, turn the pages for Blossom, will you?"

"Will do," said the blond.

"Pops, let's go somewhere private," said Brick.

"My lab."

"That would be a good place," his eldest son said.

They walked to Mojo's lab.

"What's going on?"

"We're playing."

"What? You mean you're playing kidnapping the girls?" asked Mojo.

"Yes, and no."

"I don't understand."

"Listen. Don't tell anyone, especially the girls. Remember the diamond and the hotline?"

"The first and the second tasks, yes, and… Don't tell me the third task was—"

"Commit a serious crime against the Powerpuff Girls, against their persons, and not their property, and the girls must know that we committed the crime against them."

"Wait! Are you telling me that you want HIM to think that this is a real kidnapping while you want the girls to think you're just playing?" asked Mojo in a loud voice.

* * *

 _ **110 (299). Favors for Brick**_

"Don't be too loud, Pops. Please! Keep it down. The girls and HIM might hear us."

"Okay," Mojo said in a whisper. "But let me tell you that this is ingenious! More ingenious than I ever could have imagined. Now, while I think that the theft of the Diamond of Despair and the Powerpuff Hotline were plans of genius, those two are nothing to compare with kidnapping the Powerpuff Girls! But of course, you must be careful. For if the conditions of the diamond and the hotline are the same, you cannot ever tell that you are doing this to save your Teacher. So, the girls must not have an inkling that this is not a game. Which means you must keep this game a fun one, or they might resent you and wreck the written agreement. And HIM must always think that this was real."

"I know."

"So what can I do for you? I want to help! I want to participate in hoodwinking that accursed devil! HIM is even more accursed that those accursed Powerpuff Girls! I never thought that I'd meet anyone even more accursed than those accursed Powerpuff Girls, but I finally met someone who is more accursed! Not that I thought he was more accursed than the accursed Powerpuff Girls when I first met HIM the very first time, but now, I realized the truth that he is the most accursed being ever to exist, which makes him even more accursed than the accursed Powerpuff Girls! Curse them all! Curse the eternally accursed HIM! Curses!"

"What?" Brick asked.

"I want to do my part and frustrate the schemes and plans of HIM! I want to make sure his plans fail! I want him to lose!" ranted Mojo. "I want to join in your plans, Brick! You should've told me earlier that you planned to kidnap them!"

"I only thought of it after you went to work," said the leader. "Listen, Pops. I want a favor."

"Anything! I want to spit in the eye of that devil who tried to steal you from me, your rightful father! Who does HIM think he is?"

"Okay. We are expecting to free Ms. Keane by eight in the evening. Could you please, if you have the time, go and greet her at her home when she comes back? And please deliver this letter?"

Brick handed him a thick envelope.

"This is three letters actually. One from me, one from Boom, and lastly, from Butch. These are instructions. See, we wanted to keep this illusion of a game, so we need to have someone pay the ransom, and the Professor's out, so—"

"You need not tell me anything else," said the Monkey.

"Oh, and please order some food for, say, six kids, and two adults, later for nine in the evening. We're gonna have a celebration!"

"Anything else?"

"Could you tell Ms. Keane what's going on, and about the kidnapping and stuff?"

"Yes."

"Thank you. Oh, and one more thing, Pops. If it is okay with you, that is."

"I'm listening, my son."

…

* * *

 _Outside the house of Ms. Keane…_

So, there he was, on a stakeout. He had been there since seven in the evening. He had earlier placed an order in a restaurant to deliver food later that night. And now, he had in his pocket a thick letter from Brick to Teacher Keane when she came back.

He looked at his watch. 8:10 p.m. _What's keeping them? Did HIM see through the boys' ploy?_

The lights on the living room suddenly came on. _It's about time!_ he thought.

…

* * *

 _ **111 (300). Letter from Brick**_

Sandy Keane found herself back in her home. Same room, same house, same look. And she was wearing the same clothes she wore when she disappeared. Yet everything was so dusty—the consequence of nearly a week without housekeeping.

And what was that smell? Was that?

Yes, cat urine and cat feces. It seemed as if the litter box of her cat Valentino wasn't cleaned—not surprising, as there was no one at home. The smell was so intense that nothing else could draw her attention, and she hurriedly switched on the light.

And the house was mostly in order, except for an overturned lamp. Still, the smell was so overwhelming, that she had an urge to go to the bathroom and clean the entire house. But then, she heard the doorbell ring.

Who could that be?

Could it be the boys? But then, she wouldn't want them to go inside the house. It reeked! She looked out the peephole, and it was Mojo Jojo.

What was Mojo doing there?

She opened the door and stepped outside and closed the door so he would not have time to smell it. It would be so embarrassing.

"Hello, Mojo. I'm afraid I can't invite you in," she said.

"That's all right. Brick sent me. He asked that you proceed and sit in my vehicle. There, I will tell you everything."

Then she remembered everything. She gasped. What about the third task! That meant that the Powerpuff Girls were held captive at the Rowdyruff Home.

She hurriedly went and sat shotgun on Mojo's car. There, on the chair, she saw a thick envelope, where _Teacher Keane_ was written in Brick's handwriting.

She sat down and opened the letter. There were three papers inside. She read the topmost first.

* * *

 _Dear Teacher,_

 _I am so glad that you're free! I am so happy that we finally freed you from the clutches of HIM. We will never abandon you! And we will do everything so that you may be satisfied._

 _I'd like to say more, but it's urgent that you do as I asked. Please, it's vital that you do what I am going to ask to the letter._

 _Mojo Jojo, is, as you are reading this, driving you towards the home of the Professor. I want you to say to the Professor that the girls want to have some of their books and other stuff brought to the Rowdyruff Home for their sleepover. Don't worry, I'll explain later._

 _Here are the things:_

 _From Blossom_

…

* * *

Ms. Keane's eyes widened as she read Brick's letter, at the things the boys were demanding. She was not sure that she could obtain it from the Professor, but she'll try her best. She continued reading after the list of items.

…

* * *

 _Please, please, do your best to obtain the above items as soon as possible. Beg, cajole, do anything to get it! Steal it if you have to! I'm sure Mojo will help you if you decide to get drastic. Let's not hope it will come to that, but it's better to be prepared._

 _Now, after you get it, Mojo will drive you to our home. When you arrive, you will shout that you've come to deliver the ransom and that we should free the girls. We will let you inside. And all the things from Blossom will go to me. From Bubbles to Boom, and from Buttercup, to Butch. Don't worry, we will just borrow it in reality, and the girls know it too._

 _Please make up some excuse, because we all thought that HIM will release you by lunchtime, and so we had to make an excuse to the girls that the ransom payment would be delayed until at least eight in the evening. Make it believable. Remember, the Powerpuff Girls must think that this is some kind of gigantic kidnapping game. And remember, the girls were continuously tied up since the morning, and so they may not take it too kindly if the game had a disappointing end or if it doesn't make sense._

 _After we get the ransom, we will free the girls._

 _And we can celebrate afterward._

 _Brick K.C. Jojo_

 _Your faithful student_

 _ **112 (301). Boomer and Butch's Letters**_

Ms. Keane was puzzled by the letter, but she would follow Brick's instructions to the letter.

She read the second letter. It was from Boomer.

 _Dear Teacher,_

 _Oh, I miss you so much. I miss your voice teaching us new things to learn. Because you of we learned lots of things and we beat those sissies the Powerpuff Girls!_

 _Please come back to us! I miss you! We learned so much from you, and you make learning so much fun. Then we can be like one big happy family! Even if you're not actually family, you're like family, more so than Pops, although Mojo is a swell Dad, and not like that big meanie HIM._

 _Please come back. Not being taught by you even for a day makes me very sad. And makes big brother Brick the future ruler of the world so sad. And Butch is unhappy too._

 _And I made drawing of us at the back._

 _Boomer D. Jojo_

* * *

She flipped the paper, and there was a beautiful drawing of the boys with Ms. Keane. It was Ms. Keane standing, and the boys were around her.

A single tear fell from her right eye.

She looked at the third letter. From Butch.

* * *

 _Dear Teacher Keane,_

 _Hello! What's up?_

 _I hope you're okay. Although your place in HIM's world looks fine, but without any company, you must be lonely._

 _Like Brick and Boomer, I miss you. It's been so many days since you've last been with us as teacher. And I really am thankful that HIM allowed us to visit you._

 _Hopefully, things would go back to normal. I hate that HIM is forcing us to do all these things. I mean, doing crime and violence is fun, but not when you're being forced to do it. And don't get me wrong—the Powerpuff Girls are the biggest sissies in the world and don't deserve anything—but I don't like stealing from them or kidnapping them just to please HIM._

 _HIM is playing mind games with us so we would leave Pops and come back to HIM. And I am sure I won't do as he says. What he did is despicable—forcing us to choose between you and Pops._

 _I will be delighted to see you in this world, Teacher. Take care, and always be strong. For the strong will rule the world, and that strong guy is my eldest brother, the future emperor of the world, Brick._

 _Butch B. Jojo_

…

* * *

"What's going on?" she asked Mojo as the chimpanzee drove towards the Townsville suburbs.

"Well, you remember the third task? The boys decided to kidnap the Powerpuff Girls because it could be plausibly interpreted by the girls as just some innocent game."

And Mojo filled her with what had been happening all day long.

She gave a sigh of relief. Things were not so hopeless after all. If the girls would think this was a fun game, then the agreement won't be broken, and there would not be a need to tell them the truth. Still, what excuse should she say to the Professor? After all, she can't tell him that they were tied and gagged all day—game or not, he might flip.

…

* * *

"Sandy!" Professor Utonium nearly shouted when he opened the door to his home and saw his friend and former sweetheart. He gave her a warm hug.

"John!" she said, hugging back.

"Come in! Come in! Where have you been? Where did you disappear to?"

"What can I say? Something came up, and I had to leave in a hurry, without saying goodbye," she said, trying very hard not to lie.

"Let me guess, a family emergency, and one who's living in some remote place? Tell me no more! I understand."

"Listen. I first went to the home of the Rowdyruff Boys to apologize for leaving abruptly," she explained. "Then, the Powerpuff girls were there—"

"Oh yes. They're having a sleepover with the boys. How are they?"

"They're fine. Listen. Your girls said they need to get some things. I volunteered to get it for them," she said. "Mojo offered to drive."

"Really? What things?" he asked.

And Ms. Keane told him, omitting the fact that it was actually Brick who dictated what she was going to ask.

"Oh, that won't take long to pack," he said with a big smile as he went upstairs.

…

* * *

 _Fifteen minutes later…_

"Here it is!" said the Professor, carrying a big blank trunk. "Let me carry it to Mojo's car."

After he placed it in the car, he asked, "are you sure you two won't stay for coffee?"

"I'd love to, but I would have to decline," said Ms. Keane. "Bye, John."

"Bye, Sandy. Bye Mojo. Say hello to the Girls for me, Sandy."

"Will do!" said Ms. Keane as Mojo started the car engines.

As soon as they were out of earshot from Professor Utonium, she said to the monkey, "Faster!"

"I know! I'm driving as fast as I could!" the chimpanzee said. "It seems to me that the boys failed to take into account the time it would take for you to go to the Powerpuff home, for the Professor to pack all those things he asked for, and to drive back home. And the boys announced eight o'clock. What time is it already?"

"Eight-forty," she said, looking at her watch.

"The girls were promised they'd be free by eight. They'd be angry since they've been tied up and gagged since early afternoon. Be ready for an excuse to spare my boys an earful from the Powerpuffs," Mojo advised.

"Don't worry about that," she said in a quiet tone. "I have the perfect excuse for them."

…

* * *

 _ **113 (302). Arrival**_

Blossom was getting irritated.

Her attention was supposed to be on the _Chicken Little_ movie that they were watching. The girls had not watched it before, and it was entertaining. Yet her mind kept looking at the clock. 8:40 p.m.! They promised they'd be free by eight! If this were a real game, then they'd keep their promise.

The movie started before 8:00 p.m., so at the latest, they would get free after the film ended, which would be about 9:20 p.m. if it lasted the usual time for movies.

But she wanted to get free! Now! Fun game or not, it had gotten way too long. This wasn't supposed to be a real kidnapping, but a fun game.

But what can she do? Well, she would give an earful on the boys.

She adjusted her position. On her left was Bubbles, and on her right, was Buttercup. She looked at them—both their eyes were on the television screen. She turned her head as far as she could without disturbing her sisters.

Boomer was pacing back and forth with an agitated look on his face, Butch was sitting on another couch, his attention on the TV, a smile on his face, yet his green eyes seemingly distant. As if he was worried about something.

And there was Brick. Standing beside the couch, his blood red eyes on the TV, but even a cursory glance would indicate that he was not paying attention to the TV. When it was funny, he didn't laugh. Or even react. When something shocking happened, he did not even gasp or jump. He was somewhere else, deep in thought, his hands folded in front of him.

She looked at him and tried to read that unreadable face, that red eyes that were hiding so much. There was deep worry, Blossom could tell. Of what, she cannot say, but if her hunch was right, it was about Ms. Keane. If these were a regular game, then they would have happy looks on their faces, their attention would be on the TV or on the girls. But it was not. They were distracted.

And it was something about their Teacher. She hoped he would tell her. And open up.

Why don't they free them? What were they waiting for?

Then they heard it. A car arrived. But her sisters were so intent on the television that they did not notice.

Then there was a knock.

Again, they did not notice.

Until Brick took the remote and paused the movie.

"MM mmmphyhyh mmphh!" Buttercup said, annoyed at having her watching time interrupted.

"MMmm phhh ppphhhff?" _What's going on?_ Blossom asked.

There was a tense silence. Brick stared at the front door.

"Who is it?" the leader asked in a loud voice.

"It's me! I'm here to deliver their ransoms!" said Ms. Keane's voice.

"MMM mmmy!" Ms. _Keane?_ she shouted, jumping from the couch and hopping to the living room, standing beside Brick. Her sisters followed her.

"You may enter," said Brick.

And the door opened. And there she was, with her short dark hair, blue eyes, and usual orange shirt, red vest, and brown pants. Beside her was Mojo Jojo, carrying a black trunk.

She looked like she had not slept for a long time.

"I have brought the ransom of the girls!" she announced, her blue eyes wide upon seeing them.

Before Brick could say anything, there was a fast blue blur.

"TEACHER!" Boomer shouted, his voice nearly breaking, and he suddenly hugged her on the legs and began to cry.

Then both his brothers lost it too, and went and hugged their teacher and cried too.

"I'm so glad you're here!" said Butch, hugging her waist.

Brick did not say anything, just buried his head on her hers, his tears from his red eyes wetting her hair, his arms wrapped around her neck.

And she hugged them, her arms around them, tears falling from her eyes too, and positioned them so that they were all at the same level, giving a kiss on each of their cheeks.

Blossom and her sisters looked on in wonder and amazement, not knowing what was happening before their very eyes.

End of Chapter 11

As always, please do me a favor and review if you've read this chapter. Reviews really lighten my day and makes me very happy. Thank you very much for reading!

* * *

 **Author's Notes**

To **Ash141,**

 _AAAH! I missed this story so much! I was so worried about you, I had no idea what happened! I'm glad you're back, at least for a short while. This chapter was fantastic! I missed your versions of the Girls and Boys (especially Brick and Blossom). They're all so adorable, I LOVE it! C'mon Brick, you know you like taking care of Blossom while she's helpless to you. HIM is going to do something tricky, I just know it! Can't wait for the next chapter! Until next time._  
 _~Ash141_

Yes, I missed writing and posting this story so much too. And don't worry about me, but I still am extremely busy. And I won't go away permanently, though my updates would be much much less frequent. And thank you. I'm glad you liked my versions of the boys and the girls. And yes, Brick does love to take of Blossom! But he's too young to realize it, as this chapter shows.

* * *

To **XXstatictvXX,**

 _Yes! Glad to see you updat again_!

Thanks. And I'm glad that I could update again this story.

* * *

To **Groudon202,**

 _Yes, you're back! I barely even realised how much I missed semi-frequent updates for this fanfiction, but miss them I did._

 _It's a pity that real life got in the way of you keeping the pace with this. Though to be fair, it was amazing you managed to keep the pace as much as you did, churning out 80,000 words in almost exactly three months from Chapters 1-9 (it might be a little less due to the Author's Notes where you reply to every review, but even so!). Great that you got enough of a reprieve to return for one chapter. If it'll ramp up again, you could try setting yourself a schedule to upload a new chapter every x days. If Chapters 1-9 were across three months, that was 3 a month, averaging 9,000 words each. Assuming your chapters continue to be as long, why not try looking at just one chapter a month, same day of the month? Or if even that's too still much, perhaps one every six weeks? Just tossing that out there. If you do pick one and stick to it, informing your readers will help keep them anticipating it. No obligation to go with this, your own personal life, mental health, all that is much more important. But it's something to consider._

Thank you. Yes, one factor is that I can type really really fast, that's why I was able to keep such an insane update time in such a short period of time, but yes, real life got in the way, and it's still in the way. But I can't just leave this story hanging... And I'm trying to keep a schedule of one update per month, but I can't promise that I'll be able to maintain it.

 _As for this specific chapter... not a whole lot to say. I know I say that a lot, but it's especially true this time. Brick's right on Blossom's tail academically, Boomer and Bubbles have fun as they always, even Butttercup's relaxing a little around the boys, with that whole moment between her and Butch, watching him playing the game and using tactics she wouldn't have thought of. All fine, expected development, though I do question Professor letting Buttercup play a game with zombies. Unless they're cartoon-style like in Plants Vs. Zombies, don't see him letting her play a zombie game. Speaking of Professor, his little moment with overcompensating for the girls' packing given neither the Boys nor Mojo know how to look after girls was hilarious, and totally him._

I do attribute it to Buttercup pestering the Professor until the Professor gave in and let her have the game-after a lecture on the proper way of playing and to limit her playing, of course, and Buttercup making lots of promises in return. And besides, the violence of her play was nothing compared to what she does when she fights monsters. But violence on the computer still appeals to her. The Professor might think that she would outgrow it, etc...

 _The main thing I want to mention didn't originate in this chapter, or even this story, but this chapter brought it to mind. You have this odd fascination with having the characters tied up. Now, it's not nearly as severe as in the old Allies & Rivals trilogy, with paragraph after paragraph explaining in detail a given Powerpuff or Rowdyruff being handcuffed, leg-cuffed, gagged, tape-wrapped and fitted with anti-laser goggles and an anti-gravity belt, but it is odd nonetheless. Now, it was always, largely, story relevant, both there and here, given the characters need to be powerless briefly for tension sometimes. But even so, I still find it a little... weird. I get that how the girls would be restrained needs to be explained at least a little, as opposed to, say, Bubblevicious, where Bubbles is in Mojo's restraints and no dialogue explanation is given for why they're able to hold her back until she snaps them when he turns the laser up to 11 (yes, the reference is worth making). Again, much less severe of an issue here, and it is always story and plot-relevant, but it's still a weird and odd carryover emphasised a little more then it needs to be. I'm sure it's nothing, but it does come across, on occasion, as something that's around partially because the author wants it to be. That's only a suspicion of mine, I could be wrong._

Well it's plot relevant, and sometimes, my tendency to overdescribe some aspects of the story and to tell every detail of the plot and event spilled over. And it's a convenient plot point, so there's that.

 _One more thing: why is the story (as well as An Education For Power) T rated? Unlike in the second and third Allies & Rivals fics, which had some mild intense elements, there's basically nothing in these that would push it above K/PG. I can't help but wonder that you're keeping it at T because you're afraid people won't check it out if it's K. Maybe if it was K rated, but no, K won't deter people. Even the most intense fight scenes, other then slightly more description of the girls' battle wounds, don't get any more intense then the most intense scenes in the original show, and there's no thematic content that would justify a T rating (as nearly every Powerpuff fic that has the girls as teenagers would, for instance). So, yeah, K rating with this and An Education For Power fits much better. If anything, they'll help make it stand out more, when browsing, given the gluttony of T-rated fics._

As for the rating, just wait until future chapters. The reason I keep it this way was that I have a tendency to forget to change it back to a higher rating when the tone shifts. I have plans for future chapters that would, I think, justify a higher rating.

 _Keep it up, Tonifranz! I'll be right here when the next chapter drops, even if it takes another six months. Like it if it didn't, but I'll understand, as will the rest of the readers._

 _On an aside, I wish to thank you. What you've done here is return to an old story of yours and retool it to start over and improve it, even if it's basically a page-one rewrite on Allies & Rivals. Around when you went on hiatus with this last November, perhaps because of this story, perhaps for other reasons, an unfinished Powerpuff trilogy fic of my own surfaced in my mind for the first time in quite some time. Like yours, it stuck close enough to the show while going off in its own direction and kept the girls as little kids, though the Rowdyruff Boys are kept to a minor supporting role. And since then, I've been working hard to rewrite it so I can finish and conclude it, as well as rewrite the first, finished one. I haven't started publishing any of it yet, as I want to make sure I'm far enough along so that when I do start publishing it, I'm close enough to the end that it will get finished. But, it remains not only possible, but likely, that were it not for you returning and improving immeasurably on Allies & Rivals, I would not have been inspired to do the same. And I know when I published the improved Galactic Willpower, as well as the overhaul and finished version of Heroes & Villains, it will be totally worth it. And for you, and this story along with An Education For Power to be the probably catalyst for that... well, words cannot contain how thankful I am for that. But this paragraph should give you a decent idea!_

You're welcome.

I'm so glad that I could help you and inspire you to finish you stories. And I am happy that my writing would be a big help to my readers.

* * *

To **mayflowerbel,**

 _Yay, Buttercup finally gets some well deserved attention! Good on her, figuring out that something was wrong and man does Blossom seen dumb in this! I mean, she didn't realise the boys were getting smarter when it was shoved in her face, she didn't realise ms Keane was kidnapped and now this? I'm not complaining though, it gives buttercup a chance to shine._

 _I really love the scene with the Greens. Finally, they're starting to get along! I adore this fic, keep up the good work!_

Yup. Buttercup got neglected throughout most of this story and the last one. And yes, her instincts were right and is leading her to the right direction. As for Blossom and Ms Keane, she isn't dumb, as will be shown in the next chapter. And her not realizing that the boys were getting smarter was excusable.

Buttercup and Butch had so much in common. So much more than realized.

And thank you.

* * *

To **William F Somebody,**

 _I'm glad you're back in action!_

Thank you. I'm glad to be back in action too!

* * *

To **John,**

 _I hope the girls would be okay._

This chapter answers that question.


End file.
